An American in Provence

Only five days left until my oral exam.

I have today (Friday) off (one Friday every two weeks) and I took next Monday off. On Tuesday I am taking the TGV train up to Paris. Thankfully, the exam is in a nicer part of town for once, but more expensive too.

I am "convocated" to arrive at 10 am Wednesday morning to get my subject, then I have an hour and a half to prepare it, then I go in to the trial by fire at 11:30 for 45 minutes of presentation of the subject and questions.

Apparently, the jury consists of three people, from industry, firms, and academia.

I need 8.25 points to pass, out of 20. I calculated the equivalent in the US system, and it works out to a 41.25%. But it isn't really the same. Ten points is considered the average, whereas 50% is failing in the US.

So maybe 8.25 is about a C grade? 

See the things that run through my head instead of just focusing on the exam itself?

The results are supposedly posted relatively quickly, (for France), within a week or two of the last person to pass.

About 1 out of 5 people who is admitted to the oral exam fails.

Super.

Right now I am on overload.  The apartment is a complete mess. Piles of clean laundry around that I can't be bothered to put away. Stacks of bills and other important papers to file away in our metal filing boxes.

Ugh. I don't even want to think about it. After. Definitely after.

But truthfully, I think I will feel lost after this exam is over. Five years of non-stop studying and exams, and then, nothing? (Preceeded by grade school, middle school, high school, undergraduate, graduate, even French courses for goodness sake.) It's rather a shock to the system.

Alain says I need to take a break. Just focus on doing my job. Living. Enjoying weekends. What's that you say?