Erasmus Experience in Paris, France by Milos

Why did you choose to go to Paris, France?

If I am being perfectly honest, because it is the only place where I received a full scholarship. However, this is not to say that it is a bad place (just that there are better places as far as my major is concerned).

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

It is the Paris Saclay international master's scholarship. It's 10000 euros for the full year.

What is the student lifestyle like in Paris?

Depends on your situation. If you are here with friends, you'll have a blast. However, I (as well as a lot of others I know) find it a bit harder than expected to meet new people and make new friends since most French people stick to other French people (I have meet some lovely exceptions to this rule tho).

Aside from that it also depends on your location. Cite Universitaire is actually quite amazing to live in for example.

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

From an educational standpoint not really. The universities here aren't as good as they are ranked. They are solid of course, but definitely not among the best in the world as they are advertised.

Paris as a city, I would recommend definitely, although it is much harder if you don't speak French as not only do many people not speak a word of English (even fellow students), but non French speakers are also really frowned upon by many. This is a problem mostly for Parisian suburbs, but it is almost non existent in the city itself.

What is the food like?

Amazing, simply amazing. Not much to be added here. If food is a factor of any kind then definitely come here.

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Paris?

It is incredibly hard to find accommodation here, downright impossible for the city itself (the suburbs are easier, but still challenging) if you're not willing to spend literally over a 1000 euros a month for a small room with a bathroom and improvised kitchen.

How much does it cost to live in Paris?

There is no tuition, so when compared it to the UK or the US it is really cheap. However, housing is a nightmare as I mentioned earlier. Everything else isn't a large issue. I would say an absolute minimum of 250 euros + accommodation costs a month plus all the one time administration costs such as registration, visas, public transport (take advantage of the student Navigo card). If you want to live comfortably and go out often, I'd recommend about 300 a month on top of all that.

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

Not only are they available, they are often mandatory which can be annoying when your GPA in Synthetic biology is influenced by your knowledge of French.

The difficulty of the language itself depends on your native. Italian, Spanish and even native English speakers shouldn't find to hard of a time with it, while for a slav like me it's a nightmare to pronounce as well as listen too.

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

There are affordable flights from Belgrade to Paris, I would not recommend a train and definitely not a bus as the trip is way to long and you don't really save a lot of money.

Where would you recommend to go on a night out in Paris?

Just walk around the city with your friends, you will find something great very soon. The city's nightlife is amazing.

And for eating? Can you recommend some good restaurants in Paris?

The same as above. The city is just so oversaturated with great places that I can't recommend any single one.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

You've already heard of a lot of them. Then you'll realize, that's just the tiny tip of the iceberg. The whole city is a huge cultural site. If you have the time (and money), just go anywhere and everywhere and take in the atmosphere. I would like to point out the Natural history museum as a really wonderful place to see, as it is often overshadowed by places like the Louvre for example.

Is there any other advice that you could give to students going to Paris in the future?

Learn French. Even an A1 level of knowledge will go a long way. People are far nicer to you even if you just try to speak French and then switch to English.

Prepare yourself for a level of inefficient administrative procedures and bureaucracy that is too much even for a satirical comedy (If you are not sure you can handle all of it I would even go as far as to say that it may be a deciding factor for you to choose to go somewhere else).

Paris and France in general are really hard to move to, but a wonderful place once you've settled in. I wouldn't recommend coming here for less than one year (unless it's as short as one or two months).