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I have the opportunity to study in France during the forthcoming autumn, either at Paris VI (6), or at ENS Lyon, and I have trouble deciding which offer I should take. I'm mainly interested in algebra (commutative algebra, representation theory and category theory in particular). Any advice, or just general thoughts on the matter, from people with knowledge of either or both universities is much appreciated!

DanielF
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    Yes, UPMC. I'm not sure I get your meaning correctly, but my impression is indeed that Paris 6/UPMC is inclined a bit more towards analysis/applied math, which if correct is a disadvantage given my interests. – DanielF Mar 07 '13 at 15:57

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I am a former student of the ENS Lyon, so my opinion may be biased, but you are warned ! I also studied 1 year at Paris 6 (Jussieu).

Both are labs of a very good level and I think you'd enjoy the experience in both cases.

Advantages of Lyon :

  • It is a smaller structure than a university, with only students with a very good level. The infrastructures are nice and there is much conviviality. Professors are on the whole closer and more available to students than in a university.

  • Given the interests you stated, François Bruneault and Laurent Berger are two very good specialists that you can interact with.

  • Lyon is a nice town (OK, less relevant).

Advantages of Paris :

  • It is one of the biggest and best universities in France : you'll have more people to talk with than in Lyon.

  • It's Paris, so there will be lots to see and other universities to visit (in particular Orsay university, which is probably the best in France as far as maths go). On the other hand though, people tend to not know each other in classes, which is not very nice (especially for a foreign student).

In conclusion : I'd say it depends on where you are in your studies. If this is the last year of masters (Master 2 in the french system, right before the beginning of a PhD), then I'd suggest you base your decision mostly on the courses (the resumes should be online) and the specialists if you want to do PhD in France.

Otherwise, I suggest Lyon.

Albert
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  • Thank you for a quick and helpful answer (it's upvoted, but I'll wait a bit longer before "accepting" an answer)! I'm at the end of my master's studies (so last year it is), and will probably apply to a PhD-program in my home country Sweden, but time will tell. – DanielF Mar 07 '13 at 15:52
  • OK. then I like I said in the answer, you should be specialized enough that the content of the courses and the people in your area of interests should be determinant. I don't know who the proeminent algebraists are in Paris 6, but you can probably check it online. – Albert Mar 07 '13 at 16:00