There are three kinds of bacs that students can choose from: the baccalauréat technologique, which is what you might take if you are focused on studying one of the sciences, the baccalauréat professionel, which is what you might take if you plan to go in to one of the trades or agriculture, and baccalauréat général, for everyone else. The bac is a prerequisite for enrolling in most forms of higher education in France, and your score plays a big role in which universities or grandes écoles (more on those below) will accept you – so, as you can imagine, it’s a huge deal for students in France.
Another particularity of French education is the existence of the grandes écoles (the “great schools”). The grandes écoles are not technically considered universities, although, like a university, they deliver advanced degrees in a variety of subjects like the sciences, business and entrepreneurship, math and engineering, politics, etc. The grandes écoles are generally considered to be the most prestigious educational institutions in France, and many of the most influential scientists, researchers, business leaders and politicians studied at one of them. Some of the most famous ones are the École des Hautes Études Commerciales de Paris (School of High Commercial Studies in Paris), the École polytechnique (Polytechnic school), and the Institut d’études politiques de Paris (Political studies institute of Paris, typically called Sciences po). There are also, of course, lots of traditional universities in France as well.
