Université Panthéon-Sorbonne: Paris I

Since I have not lived in residence, I can give very little information on it. I have visited "Canada House," a residence at the Cité Universitaire open to Canadian students. Rooms are small and uncomfortable, not unlike Canadian residences. There is a lovely park nearby, and the cost is considerably cheaper than living alone. As far as I've heard, the food is decent and the administration is not too helpful, as is normally the case in France. The university residence may be your best bet for the first year and/or semester if you can deal with living in a rickety apartment in the suburbs of the city and devoid of the same independance/"alone-time" that you would receive at home. However, renting an apartment as a foreign student in France is administrative hell, and you must be prepared. A foreign student will need proof of financial stability, and a real estate agent/landlord will ask that you produce proof of a "caution." This is a guarantee from a bank or a person living in France stating that if you are to leave the country without paying rental fees, someone will b willing to pick up the tab. Unless you have family living in France who are willing to support you in this, it will be extraordinarily difficult for you to do this through a bank. Most banks don't like to take on the responsibility and will often refuse to even open an account for you. (You cannot open an account without an adress, and you can't rent an apartment without a bank account. This is a typically hellish circle that you will find yourself in extremely often during your stay in France)If you manage to find a bank that will offer you a caution (try the CCF or Barclay's if you're British)you must wire transfer *up front* and *entire year's worth of rent* to the bank. This money will be placed in a locked account (it gains interest) and will be used as your guarantee. In addition to this immense sum, you must pay your monthly rent to your landlord/real estate agent. In sum, it is an extremely inconvient, difficult process and requires a large amount of paperwork. BE PREPARED. Be sure to bring pay slips and proof of some kind of financial stability when you are coming here. If you seek an apartment through an independant person, you will receive a lot more leeway. If you can get a parent to cosign or to come with you, you'll get extra bonus points, from concerned landlords.

Make sure to keep all those bits of paper you receive from administrative bodies, banks, telephone companies etc. Try to find accomodation EARLY! Talk to French students - they're great!

Banks! You have to be very cautious, French banks like to charge you for anything they can think of. When I cashed my Erasmus grant cheque, which was issued in Pound Sterling, they made me pay about 15% of its amount in charges (convertion, provision, the fact that I cashed it, etc...) The nightlife in paris is said to be expensive, but it doesn't have to be. Go to the bars that got a little dancefloor during the week (like Favela Chique at Republique, Latina Cafe Champs Elysees, etc). At the WE there are othercool thingks to do like the Rollerblading Parade Friday nights! And it's all for free!

In my opinion every students should have an internancional experience, because you can learn a lot with diferent cultures, you can learn onether language and mainly you grow up has a person. In fact you only can count with you, because your family and friends are at home and they can´t help you. Now i think i am more dynamic and proactive because of this internacional experience. This help you to your future job.