James Sutherland -Paris VI 2012-2013
I’m writing an account of my own experiences having studied for a
year in Paris in hope that it will motivate others into undertaking a similar
challenge, and help inform on certain aspects of Parisien life.
Finding a place to stay
This is a very different beast to the system in the U.K. Most
landlords insist that their tenants include a guarantor (who must live in
France) as back up in case of a default on payment, so unless you have
French family or someone to support you I wouldn’t recommend
searching for private rooms to rent. It is possible to take this route, but
you will need to make sure you have a decent amount of cash to hand to
persuade the landlord with a large enough deposit, I myself had an offer
of a room but would have needed to front £2000-3000 ( the first 6
months). Instead I recommend searching for a room in more social
accommodation such as Cité Universitaire, or one of the many Foyers
dotted throughout the city. For most these you do not need a guarantor. I
stayed in a Foyer called Anne-Marie-Veder and the residents were
literally from all over the world. Not only did I get a taste of French
culture but I made friends from Algeria, Spain, Sweden, Germany,
Hungary and many more places, in the process gaining a truly worldly
experience. On top of this most Foyers are registered with CAF, an
organisation created to help students with costs of accommodation, and as
such can help you fill out these forms to gain the maximum amount of
financial support available.
There is also the very attractive option of going au pair, essentially
gaining free accommodation in someone's private home in exchange for
services rendered such as babysitting, walking the dog, house cleaning
etc. If you're tight for cash (as Paris is extremely expensive), this could be
a very viable option, but if you can afford to live somewhere more social
such as a Foyer I really would recommend it since it's quite easy to get
isolated in Paris, and as such miss out on a wealth of experience.
Paris
For most of you the city will take some time getting used to. The
people at first appear to be cold and unhelpful and there are many people
in difficult situations living in the Metro who are often completely
ignored. The pace of life is very quick and everyone is in a hurry to get
somewhere. The general sense of humour is different to the one in the
U.K and the drinking is much more refined. When all this hits at once it
can be quite a shock, but also such a liberating experience. After a while
the general attitude of perceived insensitivity gives way to appreciation
for this way of life. There is something to be said about knowing what
you want and being confident about getting it.
The buildings are stunning, the museums full of culture and the
city is vibrant and universal. There is nowhere quite like it and you will
need to explore and find your favourite places for yourselves. There are
many special nights out in Paris including 'la nuit blanche', an all night
celebration of arts and culture and 'le festival de musique', a countrywide
celebration of music where artists of varying ability take to the streets to
perform. During the warmer months groups of people meet along the
Seine at night to drink, play music and have a laugh, and there are many
bars situated in St Michel and Châtelet open till 4 or 5 in the morning. If
you intend to go out clubbing be advised that doormen will only let
groups in that contain enough women, usually a ratio of 50%. When you
go out to visit Paris at night there are also many creperies open, (which I
loved) and there are also all-night buses which operate once the metro has
closed (1am on weekends).
When you visit a doctor it will cost you around 23 Euros, and it is
imperative that you ask for a 'feuille de soins' otherwise you can't be
reimbursed on the European health insurance. It would also be a good
idea to note down a Hospital who would be open all night in case of an
emergency, since I found myself in such a situation and had no idea who
to call or where to go.
For those of you thinking of doing sports or similar activities most
clubs require you to have undergone a medical before being able to join.
Luckily L'Université de Pierre et Marie Curie owns a medical centre, and
as such offer free medicals to all students, so definitely take advantage of
this.
The University
The style of learning is completely different to Warwick's. It is akin
to having a job; you will go in at 9 in the morning and finish at 5 or 6
pretty much every day. The contact hours are heavier and the general
outside support less. The exams are difficult, especially with the language
barrier, and there is only a small amount of revision time before exams
(one week if you take the Master level courses). The best way of dealing
with this is to do a little bit of work every day and make sure there is
nothing that will surprise you; for instance I came into an exam not
realising or expecting that it would be open book and as such was left at a
disadvantage.
The campus is not nearly as nice as Warwick's, and there is no SU
so all social activities will be done in the local surrounding pubs and bars,
but they have a pretty cool 24 floor tower from which you can see a lot of
surrounding Paris. They open this at various times to students.
The French attitude also means that everyone is a stickler for
detail. You will need your precise papers at the precise time or nothing
will move for you, so make sure everything is well organised or you can
expect many futile trips to the Erasmus Bureau.
The unexpected challenges
At the same time as wishing to continue your studies in
mathematics most of you will also have a keen interest in the language
and culture, and are maybe anticipating this to challenge you, which it
will, but there are a few ‘hidden’ difficulties. If this is your first time
being exposed to such a different environment then you can expect to
undergo a lot of personal development. This can add a whole new
dimension to the experience and as such I really recommend not
overstretching yourself with regards to the Mathematics. I decided to take
a lot of Master modules, which would have been fine in the U.K, but had
a really difficult time of it in France because I was growing at the same
time. I would recommend staying well within your limits in terms of
studies, because you will be pushed to the limit in almost every other
area. I'm hoping the idea of being stretched excites you, I certainly
wouldn't change my experience for the world. Paris was one of the most
fantastic periods of my life so far, and right now I'm learning another
language and have an Italian girlfriend whom I met in Paris.