French high school students sit in class as much as 38 hours per week. Some colleges have adopted the same fixed structure as the one high schools have. But public universities have a similar organization to US ones with accumulation of credit hours towards a degree which must be completed within a certain time limit. I had a good beginning here that allowed me a smooth transition from my fifteen years of education in a very organized and structured environment. On a more general level, I found the technology available to students in the USA extraordinary.
American universities are larger and more comfortable too.
Most colleges and universities in France are in large cities and often downtown, in old buildings. Expansion and change are not easy for our old institutions. In France, most universities and public libraries have closed stacks. Most books are not on the shelves, forcing students to ask librarians to get them. This prevents you from browsing, which I discovered and have learned to appreciate very much.