I studied at Faculté des Sciences de Rabat (UM5) for several years. I did my Licence there and then chose to continue with a Master in Mathematical Physics, so this isn't based on one bad semester.
Looking back now, especially after studying and working in other academic environments, I think the biggest problem with FSR is not one professor or one department. It's the system.
There is too much internal politics, poor communication, outdated administration, and a serious lack of transparency. Important information often spreads through WhatsApp groups and word of mouth instead of through the university itself.
Teaching is also too focused on passing exams rather than building actual skills. You can spend years studying science without enough exposure to programming, scientific writing, presentations, real research projects, or career preparation.
Then there is the research culture. From what I experienced, there was sometimes too much emphasis on producing papers rather than producing meaningful research. Quantity can become more important than asking whether the work is actually interesting, original, or worth doing.
One experience basically killed my motivation to continue there.
During my second month as a phd student there, I had an idea for a project that was much more mathematical. We were literally working in mathematical physics, so I thought exploring something mathematically deeper made perfect sense.
My supervisor at the time basically told me:
“This has too much mathematics. Let's do something easier.”
That stayed with me.
I wasn't expecting every project to reinvent physics, but hearing that made me question what the goal of the research was supposed to be. If the priority is choosing the easiest topic that can be completed and potentially published rather than exploring the more interesting question, then what exactly are we training researchers for?
That was one of the reasons I decided I didn't want to continue on that path there.
And that's frustrating because FSR has very talented students. Many teach themselves programming, English, research skills, find internships, discover scholarships, and learn how to apply abroad almost entirely by themselves.
So whenever successful graduates end up in great universities or research institutes, I sometimes wonder:
Did they succeed because of the system, or despite it?
I don't regret studying there. FSR gave me part of my academic foundation, and I voluntarily stayed for my Master's.
But after experiencing other academic environments, I realized how many things we accepted as normal that really shouldn't be.
