Erasmus Experience in Paris, France by Alba

Why did you choose to go to Paris, France?

Spending some time in Paris is a very good (academic) opportunity to add value to your curriculum. The universities have good reputations and living here for a few months helps to improve your level of French (although, you need to be able to speak more or less fluent French).

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

I didn't get a grant in Paris, since it was my second Erasmus.

What is the student lifestyle like in Paris?

The lifestyle is great. There are a lot of student movements and associations you can join, which help you to better understand the culture and to get immersed in the university environment. At least they did in the university I'm at, Paris X, Nanterre.

Would you recommend the city and the university of Paris to other students?

In general, yes, but I'd recommend it to independent people who don't need to always be surrounded by friends. That's because, as it's a huge city, it's very difficult to always be with people and also the flats are very small and generally you live alone or with one flatmate. I would recommend it to people who really want to take advantage of the universities here, to learn about a new culture and to those who love art. The city is a museum in itself.

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What is the food like there?

It's incredible. Everything is so good. In Nanterre, the canteen costs €3. 25 and it's all delicious. There is a lot of variety in the streets, restaurants and other places. The problem, as always, is the price. Generally, everything is usually very expensive.

Was it difficult to find accommodation in Paris?

It's really difficult. You absolutely have to start looking for accommodation a few months in advance. As so many students arrive in Paris in September, the residences fill up very quickly. The best ones are the CROUS (public) residences, they're cheap and they have private rooms (generally), but places there are very limited. There are also some private residences, but they're very expensive, at around €700-€1, 000 and above, that usually have spaces (although they will also ask you for a lot of paperwork and some of them are far from the city centre). Then there are other kinds of residences, where you have a room shared between 3 or 4 people for approximately €500, but it's hard to find a place in those residences, too.

On the other hand, it's very difficult to rent a place if you're only going to be there for a determined amount of months (for a semester, for example), since they generally look for people who are going to stay for minimum of a year. Also, in any case, and even for French people, the landlords ask you for a "dossier", which is made up of documents which include a French guarantor, (a French person who would pay your rent in the event that you can't pay it, and that has to earn over a certain amount of money a month), as well as other documents, such as your family income, copies of your documentation, etc. So getting to rent a place is practically impossible, even sometimes for French people themselves.

We got to rent a place thanks to booking a long stay through Airbnb, which we didn't need so much documentation for, but it was hard to find and isn't that common. Also, doing it this way, we couldn't get any help from the CAF (the French financial aid service). There are also other websites, like PAP.fr, where you can rent "particulier à particulier" and that way, the conditions are down to the individual person renting the place out. I would advise planning it out very carefully and making sure that the offers are legitimate, they're very often scams. Lastly, there are a lot of offer from students who are leaving their apartments for a while and want to sublet them, this is a good option, as you don't need to have so much paperwork and the prices are usually accessible to students, but it comes down to getting lucky. If you don't plan it out, you'll find whatever you'll find, but it'll take a long time and possibly for a lot more money.

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How much does it cost to live in Paris?

I spent approximately €1, 000-1, 100 a month in total.

Is the language easy to get to grips with? Are there language courses available at the university?

I didn't have any serious problems with the language, since I want to a multilingual high school for French and English, so I didn't find it especially difficult. I also completed a course offered by OLS, it was free, it was very interesting and it helped quite a lot.

What's the easiest or most economical way to travel to Paris from your home city?

Flying to Paris from Spain isn't especially expensive, since there are a lot of flights on offer. In my case, I flew from Malaga to Paris Orly with the company Transavia. It's a pretty good and cheap low-cost airline to get to Paris and you can choose the weight of the luggage you want to take.

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Where would you recommend for a night out in Paris?

Bastille and Parmentier. It really depends on your budget and what you like most to do. Personally, I like to go for beers and to pubs, more than to clubs or discos, so I know that in those areas the prices are more or less reasonable and I like the atmosphere. At any rate, the Erasmus groups plan parties all the time.

And to eat in Paris? What are some of your favourite places to go?

My favourite place is a Greek fast food chain called Filakia in the Latin quarter and a restaurant in Belleville called Les Triplettes. The food is good and reasonably priced.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

Everything. The good thing about Paris is that, for students, it's free to get into pretty much all of the city's museums and monuments, so you have to make the most of that!

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Do you have any advice for students coming to Paris in the future?

The only advice I could give is that you should go to Paris for 9 months, a four month stay is too short. I would also recommend that you make the absolute most of all of the opportunities that the city has to offer, the free museums and even just spending days in the sun in the streets and at the parks. Accommodation is very important. I would advise having an apartment or a place in the residence already reserved, before you get there, if you can, so make sure you won't have any problems. And apart from that, enjoy yourself in one of the loveliest cities in the world. :)