Erasmus Experience in Cergy-Pontoise, France by Andrei

Why did you choose to go to Cergy-Pontoise, France?

I want to let it clear. I didn't go to Cergy-Pontoise University, I went to ESSEC Business School. I cannot give you clear information about the university but I've lived a year in Cergy so I know things about the city in general. I live in Pamplona, Spain. I've studied French for almost 5 years and I thought it was close to my home-town. Moreover, I could improve my French if I would choose France as my destination.

Why Cergy?

As you might have realized Cergy is close to Paris, there are just 25 km from Champs Elysee or the Arc de Triumph to Cergy Prefecture. As it was so close to Paris this was a clear incentive to choose it as my Erasmus destination.

I did my exchange as a student of Public University of Navarra during 1 year. We had 2 months of holiday in winter which was amazing.

Before arriving there I heard many opinions that it was not a secure city, it was too ugly, among other things. What I can say now is that all that is relative. During my experiences there were not so many problems as I expected, and Cergy is not Paris but it has some nice places to see. I would highlight The Lake of Cergy (Les Etangs du Cergy) where you can practice many water sports (Blob Jumping, Water skying, Sailing) during the spring; The Port of Cergy over Oise river is nice as well.

There are people coming even from Paris when there is good weather to enjoy Cergy's peacefulness and silence. So when there's good weather the lake zone offers a quite nice atmosphere where families and groups of friends can enjoy a walk, barbecue, do some crazy water sport or just rest and enjoy a beautiful view.

In the previous paragraph I've used the most common characteristics of Cergy: silence, peacefulness. It is considered a residence place for many workers and it doesn't offer many other activities. I think the nicest places to see are those ones you just have to discover them by yourself.

About the exchange I think that anywhere you go you're going to enjoy it because you'll meet many people in your situation, which is something unique. I made so many good friends there and I'm planning to visit them in the future!

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How long is the scholarship? How much money do you receive to help you with living costs?

Hmmm... My home university was paying me around 500 € per month. That is more less the average price of a room rental in Cergy.

If you can go to a CROUS residence you'll have a relatively low rent of around 250 €. You can't find anything cheaper in all Paris area. It's true that room facilities aren't amazing but bearing in mind the low rental price it is fair.

What is the student lifestyle like in Cergy-Pontoise?

In Cergy it's true you don't have many things to do. During the week school - residence alternate and in the weekend just go to Paris.

During the spring they open Cergy Parc des Loisirs. It is a kind of amusement park, with many water sports. This is the best part of Cergy I think but it's sad though because the weather in Cergy tends to be quite rainy. I remember during a whole year spent there, many many weekends and regular days it was raining. So you won't have much time to enjoy that amusement park.

I live in Spain so I can tell you I enjoyed sun during December more than my whole winter semester in Cergy, so don't expect nice weather.

Would you recommend the city and the University of Cergy-Pontoise to other students?

I heard the University is good but I cannot give you a direct answer as I didn't study there. However, a good point of the university is that it has few close residences and this means you don't have to walk much. And it is close to the train station, to the only decent Shopping Center in Cergy and to anything you'll need more or less.

I was living in Linandes area which was 30 mins walk far from my Uni ESSEC. That's why I think is important to have everything you need closer and UCP University has it.

If I would recommend it? I had an amazing experience there so I would say yes.

What is the food like?

Food. You'll find many different cuisines: Asian - Japanese & Chinese, Indian, Arab, Turkish, Greek, Italian, Spanish and of course French. I mention the ones I remember but there can be other specialties as well.

Cergy is a relatively small town but there you have people from all continents living. There's a high number of Asian people, and then from everywhere: Africa, Europe and North America. So that's why there's a big variety in cuisine offers.

For authentic students you have many fast-foods close to the university (5-10 mins walking) that have a fair price compared to Paris that is so expensive: Subway, Club Cezam for Kebabs, etc. I went lots of times to Club Cezam and I must say there you eat a lot for just 5-6 €. It is not for healthy people though.

There's a shopping center with many restaurants close to the university called 3 Fontaines. You find everything there: supermarket, hairdresser, McDonald's, ATM, sushi restaurant and any kind of shops.

I cannot tell you much about the food as normally I was cooking for myself, so it will depend on you. If there are people that like to eat "properly" there are some restaurants at the port of Cergy. In one of them I heard they sell a big steak for a price of 18 - 20 €. The restaurants you have there: Le Millesime for tapas and a nice view over the Port and Oise river, Creperie du Port for Crepes, Cergy Tokyo for good Sushi.

In 3 Fontaines you have a Greek Restaurant Naxos which I heard is good as well offering fresh things and with a good personnel.

Close to the university you have CityRock, and it is a perfect atmosphere to be with friends, groups or in couple and at night they have disco as well. I think you'll spend more time there because it is close and it offer a good atmosphere. For guys, there you can watch football matches as well.

In the case you're ran out of food and you don't wanna go out you can always call Domino's and order some pizza. You'll need to speak basic french and let them clear your direction. This was quite common for us.

It depends on everyone tastes and possibilities but don't worry you will find anything you want as Cergy is a student area with people coming from all over the world.

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Cergy-Pontoise?

In my case, I reserved everything before arriving there. People from the International Relations at ESSEC put me in contact with the Alegessec that was in charge of the accommodation. I paid a deposit, I signed some documents when I arrived and after 1 h of being there they picked me up to the residence.

In the case of Cergy-Pointoise University you should be in touch with CROUS and someone from International Relations section of UCP University before arriving here. If not you can reserve something by yourselves, a room or apartment but it will be more expensive than if you go to the residence. At least it was so in my case. As so, I strongly advise you to live in residences because that's the way to meet more Erasmus students like you and that will make your experience richer and better.

CROUS is the association in charge of students accommodation and normally they had good offers in terms of price.

How much does it cost to live in Cergy-Pontoise?

Compared to Paris it is cheaper. Shopping and prices in supermarkets were more less the same as the ones I had here in Pamplona/Spain.

But things change a lot when you go out. A pint of beer is 4-5€ minimum, shots 4€, 5€ a pack of cigarettes. Hairdresser around 20€ for guys but you have cheaper as well. Train ticket 1-5€ in Cergy, bus ticket 2€.

You have always the option to take a Navigo card. When you arrive just go to the tourist office at Cergy Prefecture Train Station and there they will help you. With this card you fill it whenever you want and you can save some money.

If you come from Scandinavian countries, UK, Germany, Australia, US or similar you won't find it expensive I think. If it's not the case Cergy can be expensive I think but not as much as Paris.

An anecdote: A bottle of water 0, 5 litres in Cergy costs around 1€ in a machine and 50 cents in a supermarket.

One day while being in Paris, close to the touristic location of Notre Dame they asked us to pay 3 € for a bottle of water. We said "come on, you think we're stupid? ", Then we went to Eiffel Tower and it costed 4 €.

So here you can see the difference. In Paris you have cheap places as well just you have to search them a lot.

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Is the language easy to get to grips with? Are there language courses available in the University?

Where I studied I was spending a lot of time with the other International students so I spoke mostly in English. I didn't need to use french that much, just when buying something.

My classes were all in English as well so this was another incentive not to speak french. I couldn't fulfill my initial desire to speak more french but I learned more English which was good.

But going to UCP university will require you to speak french or to learn it quickly. And there they'll ask you the same level as the french students unless you have some exception.

It is true that french people don't speak English, or at least they don't try it. It's better to learn some french and even more if you have most of your course in french. I'm sure there are french and other languages courses for International Students. The International Relations office will help you with that.

What's the easiest or most economical way to travel to Cergy-Pontoise from your city?

I went there by train as I had a connection Hendaye - Paris and I could take as much luggage as I wanted almost.

But the best thing I think is to come by plane and don't bring 4 suitcases. Of course you'll need things if you spend here 4 months or a year but you don't need to bring all your room with you.

Where would you recommend to go on a night out in Cergy-Pontoise?

We went many times to O'sullivans. But it has a weird atmosphere with many old strange men. It is a good option when you don't have any other. Unfortunately you don't have nice discos in Cergy. In our case, as we were a big group of more than 50 people, we used to organize weekly parties in our residences, even if they were strict, that was the best way to meet everyone, talk and enjoy.

It was algo common to go to Paris and when we arrived there we divided as everyone wanted to go to a different place. Many times we had to return because we were so few to go out so when you go to Paris decide before where you're going.

The best option is to go out in Paris. There are many nice clubs (Queen's Club in Champs Elysee, Showcase). Once or Twice per month there is a Boat Party over Seine River called Rivers King. You should go there because it is cheap compared to a club: 15€. They offer you 3 drinks and if you go earlier a trip over Seine River. Imagine during the night, watching Eiffel Tower, Paris lights, and partying in a boat. It was an amazing experience and you'll hear about it as soon as you arrive in Cergy.

Once you arrive in Cergy you'll become member of many Erasmus Groups on Facebook (if you have an account) and they'll let you know when every event takes place and where so don't worry.

When going out in Paris usually follow a "formal" dress code. In some cases they didn't let some of us enter. Normally with a shirt & jacket is enough for guys, girls enter easier. Maybe in the city you come from is similar but I just wanted to mention it.

Don't get too drunk as well if you don't wanna spend the night aloneor just without entering in the same club as your friends.

The entry ticket is around 20-25€, train - RER to Paris is around 7€, 8€ if it's weekend. You can also jump over the gates but there are controls and they fine you easily. Other at least 20€ for Pre-Drinks, plus 7€ afterwards. Generally you'll spend like 50€ minimum per night if you wanna go out to Paris.

All that was about Paris. In Cergy you can enter in any bar dressing normally.

In Paris I had some good experiences in O'Sullivans, an Irish Pub close to Moulin Rouge. It is not a disco but you have a lot of space to dance, nice music normally and if you spent your St Patrick's day on exchange just go there. Compared to a club you can sit without any problem, you have lot of space and the entrance is cheaper: 15 €. If you go earlier than 10 pm it is even free.

2013 St Patrick's was one of best exchange days there. We met at around 2 pm in Du Port Residence, we talked and had some drinks and then we went to O'Sullivans. We were leaded by three Irish girls, that gave us all accessories we needed for that special day. When we arrived there everyone was enjoying silently. We started to dance with Irish steps and the real party started! There was a dance demonstration later and a Harlem shake. It was an amazing day with great atmosphere.

Here I let you a link of the Harlem Shake: Harlem Shake.

Queens Club that is just on Champs Elysee is a good option as well and the one I enjoyed the most. We were always taking the train from Cergy Prefecture to Champs Elysee - Charles de Gaulle Etoile station and just as we got out off the train and walked for 5 mins we were there. It was extremely close to the station, and when we had to go back to Cergy we just needed to walk a bit. If you go to other zones after midnight you'll need to take the Bus or a taxi to reach the club and then again to the train station.

It depends on you, you have so so so many places to go, you just have to search them and ask anyone that was there before if it is worthy.

Other Clubs in Paris:

• Showcae
• Duplex (the one they didn't let us in because of the dress code)

There's another amazing club but you can reach it just by car. The students' association were taking us by Bus from ESSEC Campus direct to Le Sete Club de Portugal (location - Grissy les Platres 12 km from Cergy). It is definitely the one I enjoyed the most but from Cergy you cannot go there unless you have a car or something.

It is sad and a big disadvantage that Cergy doesn't have any decent night club. At least not that I heard of when I was there.

And for eating? Can you recommend some good restaurants in Cergy-Pontoise?

All the ones at the Port of Cergy, but they're expensive compared to others.

In the food section I recomended before:

• La Millesime du Port
• Cergy Tokyo
• Naxos
• City Rock
• Club Cezam

In Pointoise you can also eat well but I don't know any places so I cannot give you any advice.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

In Cergy I think you don't have so many. Cergy has many Universities, companies, offices, industries, residences and houses. I don't think there are some cultural sites or at least I don't know about them.

An interesting place to see is the Cergy St Cristophe Gare, the CLH train station because there's the Europe largest clock.

"Close" to Cergy you have Auvers-sur-Oise that's the place where the well known painter Vincent Van Gogh lived.

There's a Cinema in Cergy Le Haut Gare, the only one you have. I think they have all movies doubled in french without subtitles in English or other languages. In Paris instead you have some of them that they offer them with subtitles. This is in case you don't speak/understand french.

For visiting cultural sites the best option is to go to Paris, that is 1h by train (RER). As you may know, Paris has a much richer offer internationally known, but about Cergy I cannot say much.

It is common to see singers having concerts in well known streets. If you prefer dance shows or something different you can go to Paris opera that is one of RER stops in Paris.

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Is there any other advice that you could give to future students who are going to Cergy-Pontoise?

I would tell everyone that is going there that you need to form a big group of people. This will help you a lot. If you live in a residence it is better but if you don't like it it's ok. I only tell you it will be cheaper and you'll be close to all other people in the same situation as you, plus you won't feel alone and you can always ask for advice, do plans, etc.

When you have a big group you can organize anytime parties and any activity you want and no one's get bored.

So after arriving there and after being installed there try to create a Facebook group and organize meetings for everyone from the beggining. You'll see later it will help you and you'll always find enough people to go out, to walk around, to speak and to enjoy the student atmosphere.

My experience was great because of that. This will make you feel secure and you'll enjoy much more being in a club with 20 - 30 people you know than with just 3-4.

What that means is that you'll always have more opportunities to do plans with more people and that will make your experience much more interesting.

Don't think Cergy is a nice place, with lot of smiley people. I would say Cergy is like a residence place where people just sleep and work. So even if it is considered a city it's not like a normal city. You'll notice how different it is, so be ready to adapt to it.

About my experience I can say that I enjoyed the exchange a lot. It was one of the best years of my life, but not because of being in Cergy, it was more because of the people I've met there. All of them from every corner of the world, we were meeting everyday, going out as well. I had always something to do and it was such a great experience.

About the classes. In France normally they will ask you the same as a local student so you'll probably have to go to all classes and study to pass the exams. I had to study as well and I wouldn't miss any class.

About all documentation deadlines and bureaucracy. You need to be really patient when you're doing any documentation because it will take a long time probably. I remember the case of an Italian guy that waited 2-3 months for his RER - train card.

If you go to a CROUS residence you can apply for CAF that's a help from the French Government for your accommodation, this will lower your rental price even more and it is a help you can have. You ask CROUS personal for everything you need to fill.

I'm sure you will have an amazing experience as well! You can ask me some other questions and I will try to answer them! I understand your situation as last year I was in your side and so disoriented, I needed all information about Cergy!

For any other questions you just have to comment here and I'll try to respond them! Have an amazing exchange!