Portugal and France are two different countries. Even if there are both part of the western culture, these states are different in many respects. Particularly in education and school, indeed I have the opportunity to try them out. So in order to prevent the culture shock let me prepare you to the "Portuguese Style" (as Erasmus student called it).
In France the rule n°1 in higher education is to be on time for the beginning of the class. If you faced any issues in the morning due to transport or failure of alarm clock, then it is too bad for you. Here in Portugal, especially in IADE, (the following sentence is insane), do not arrive in advance, you should even arrive 5 minutes late. Let me explain why. In Portugal, the teacher arrives more or less at least 10-15 minutes late, so if one day you are late, relax, actually you will be just on time !
Rule n°2 : in France, we all respect the teacher and his speech. Here in IADE, most of the students are sending text, or being on Facebook. The worst of it is that they are not even discrete. But the teachers understand who is working and who is not, they are taking it in consideration in the global note of participation.
Rule n°3 : Actually, this fact is clearly a positive point. The teachers in IADE are really accessible, if you have any doubt or you need help for a project, it is really easy to interact with them. They are really heedful with us. If for any reason you need more time to finish something, they are understanding. To conclude, the teachers are really reachable and really kind.They don't pressure you but support you in your project to sharpen your creativity.
Rule n°4 : Portugal is a relaxing country. Far from the Parisian stress, here you will breath in every sense. At the beginning you will feel that you need more action, more work, then you will get annoyed of the slow rhythm of your classes, teacher, classmates, however, you will realize that this is how Portuguese behave in their daily life, so just appreciate these slow moments where you discover that you just need to adapt yourself.
