ISE semester abroad in Paris; any experience?
Dec 13th, 2009, 08:56 AM
#1
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ISE semester abroad in Paris; any experience?
My college student daughter hopes to spend the fall semester in Paris, studying in French university. They give you a choice of sharing an apartment (pricier) or staying with a family either in the city area or the Banlieue, up to 50 min commute.
Does any of you have experience with the living situation involved? Naturally the central area sounds more attractive on the face of it.
Does any of you have experience with the living situation involved? Naturally the central area sounds more attractive on the face of it.
Dec 13th, 2009, 09:21 AM
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yes, sort of -- I've studied at two French univerisities but neither of them gave the choices you have -- they had their own residence halls, both of them (of course you could stay in your own apt, you are an adult, but I wasn't a college student, either).
What university is this? I just wondered as all the universities I know have residence halls and offer that as an option, and it's the one I would prefer as you meet a lot of people that way, and it is usually very close to the school. Of course it would be cheaper than sharing an apt., also.
I've only heard of people staying with families second or third party, and it wasn't positive. Partly because of the commuting, of course, and you aren't really a part of the school and city so much. Also, those families who do that out in the burbs (or anywhere, most likely) are doing it for the money and it is basically just a boarder to them. One person I know who did that said they barely spoke to her, she was just a tenant, basically. Now maybe the program your daughter chose (and I think it would be more useful if you gave the name of where you are talking about, it might help people who knew about it, it certainly can't hurt) has some rigorous standards for those families, but I'd get a lot of details about that situation--what the living situation will be, expected customs, is the family required to do anything other than furnish a room and collect the rent, or what.
What university is this? I just wondered as all the universities I know have residence halls and offer that as an option, and it's the one I would prefer as you meet a lot of people that way, and it is usually very close to the school. Of course it would be cheaper than sharing an apt., also.
I've only heard of people staying with families second or third party, and it wasn't positive. Partly because of the commuting, of course, and you aren't really a part of the school and city so much. Also, those families who do that out in the burbs (or anywhere, most likely) are doing it for the money and it is basically just a boarder to them. One person I know who did that said they barely spoke to her, she was just a tenant, basically. Now maybe the program your daughter chose (and I think it would be more useful if you gave the name of where you are talking about, it might help people who knew about it, it certainly can't hurt) has some rigorous standards for those families, but I'd get a lot of details about that situation--what the living situation will be, expected customs, is the family required to do anything other than furnish a room and collect the rent, or what.
Dec 13th, 2009, 10:40 AM
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Thanks, Christina. Yes, sorry. (Oh, for an edit function.) It's IES, not ISE.
http://tinyurl.com/ydd58cu or iesabroad.org. This is an established program that many US colleges use.
The Sorbonne, Universite de Paris VIII, and Institut Catholique are three of the places where they could study, in French.
Being stuck in the suburbs and/or with incogenial people is what she hopes to avoid, of course. I'd think the money would be pretty big factor for taking strangers into your home.
http://tinyurl.com/ydd58cu or iesabroad.org. This is an established program that many US colleges use.
The Sorbonne, Universite de Paris VIII, and Institut Catholique are three of the places where they could study, in French.
Being stuck in the suburbs and/or with incogenial people is what she hopes to avoid, of course. I'd think the money would be pretty big factor for taking strangers into your home.
Dec 13th, 2009, 01:08 PM
#4
The city of Paris is building more and more "résidences universitaires" -- there are never enough of them, of course. I do believe that it would be better to look for independent lodgings in Paris rather than staying with a family (and yet I am certain that there are some fantastic families offering this option -- but it is just too much of a lottery).
What price range have you been given? Just for reference, a primitive studio apartment in my neighborhood can be found for 500-600€ a month. So any of the other possibilities should be significantly cheaper than that.
What price range have you been given? Just for reference, a primitive studio apartment in my neighborhood can be found for 500-600€ a month. So any of the other possibilities should be significantly cheaper than that.
Dec 13th, 2009, 01:28 PM
#5
Hi stoke,
the word "banlieue" has bad connotations, as set out in the following article:
http://seacoast.sunderland.ac.uk/~os...1/banlieue.htm
even so, staying with a family is likely to ensure that she gets the most out of her time in Paris. if she is in the city, it is likely that she could meet up with friends/just escape more easily if the family she was with proved uncongenial.
good luck to her,
regard, ann
the word "banlieue" has bad connotations, as set out in the following article:
http://seacoast.sunderland.ac.uk/~os...1/banlieue.htm
even so, staying with a family is likely to ensure that she gets the most out of her time in Paris. if she is in the city, it is likely that she could meet up with friends/just escape more easily if the family she was with proved uncongenial.
good luck to her,
regard, ann
Dec 13th, 2009, 01:39 PM
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Hi, k. Thanks.
The price for boarding with a family is included in the (crazy expensive US style, so thank goodness she has a good scholarship) tuition. They give you breakfast daily and three evening meals/week.
The independent apartment option is available for unspecified "additional fee." "A limited number of placements are available in a private apartment building in the 14th arrondissement. You are housed in single or double apartments with private bathrooms and small kitchenettes." per their website, and you're placed with a fellow IES student. I'd think living with a random US student would have its own drawbacks.
The brochure has blurbs from satisfied alums who adored their host families, but of course I'm envisioning the bum lottery ticket possibilities. The safest option would be to have her come home and keep her mama company, but that doesn't really seem fair.
The price for boarding with a family is included in the (crazy expensive US style, so thank goodness she has a good scholarship) tuition. They give you breakfast daily and three evening meals/week.
The independent apartment option is available for unspecified "additional fee." "A limited number of placements are available in a private apartment building in the 14th arrondissement. You are housed in single or double apartments with private bathrooms and small kitchenettes." per their website, and you're placed with a fellow IES student. I'd think living with a random US student would have its own drawbacks.
The brochure has blurbs from satisfied alums who adored their host families, but of course I'm envisioning the bum lottery ticket possibilities. The safest option would be to have her come home and keep her mama company, but that doesn't really seem fair.
Dec 13th, 2009, 01:46 PM
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Hi, Ann!
Eeek. Oh, great. "Banlieue-ghetto, Le Bronx à Paris." That settles it; I'll have to go chaperone her myself.
I'm afraid they don't let you say "If it's in the 4th or 7th you got yourself a deal." Presumably they vet the homes? (she typed hopefully) I'd think the home placement would be most likely to give you the French experience, as long as it's not something out of a gothic novel.
Eeek. Oh, great. "Banlieue-ghetto, Le Bronx à Paris." That settles it; I'll have to go chaperone her myself.
I'm afraid they don't let you say "If it's in the 4th or 7th you got yourself a deal." Presumably they vet the homes? (she typed hopefully) I'd think the home placement would be most likely to give you the French experience, as long as it's not something out of a gothic novel.
Dec 13th, 2009, 01:52 PM
#8
At least 80% of the suburbs around Paris are totally reputable, and I can assure you that they would never put anybody in one of the more questionable suburbs.
Some of the suburbs are richer than Paris per capita.
Some of the suburbs are richer than Paris per capita.
Dec 13th, 2009, 02:38 PM
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Mostly looking for a couple of weeks' worth of justification for myself to settle her in, kerouac. I'm more concerned about a long dreary commute and her being in a backwater. They wouldn't place them with someone who needs the money to finance a crack habit, probably.
Dec 13th, 2009, 02:43 PM
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My daughter did a similar program in Paris last year. Despite the extra cost, we opted for an apartment with other students attending her school, and it worked out very well. She was in the 13th, if that's helpful. She says that many of the students who lived with families were disappointed, since the families considered it a simple financial arrangement, and didn't have the time- or in some cases the inclination- to be very helpful or friendly.
Our daughter gained a lot of invaluable experience from llving and coping on her own in Paris. I'd highly recommend going the apartment route, if you can.
Our daughter gained a lot of invaluable experience from llving and coping on her own in Paris. I'd highly recommend going the apartment route, if you can.
Dec 13th, 2009, 02:49 PM
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Ann, the bulk of American kids doing this would be on the pampered white kid end of the spectrum, and some of their parents are paying $50,000/year to the home colleges even during this semester, and have their lawyers on speed dial.
Dec 14th, 2009, 08:08 AM
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Our DD spent last year in Paris on a junior-year-abroad program through her US university.
She opted for finding her own apartment to share. She found a great one to share with two French twenty-somethings - they were not students, but young working professionals. She helped them improve their (rudimentary) English while they returned the favor for to help her improve her French. It also had the added bonus of giving her an instant French social life with young French people close to her own age. Priceless.
As I remember her share of the rent/utilities/food was somewhere around 500 - 550 Euro. So her room and board was actually less than her dorm room board at her state university in California.
She found the apartment listed on ... can't remember exactly. I can ask her if you'd like to know. Her university provided a place for students to stay for about a month out at Cite Universitaire while they looked for living situations. I was very nervous about her answering ads and rooming with unknown people, but it all worked out extremely well for her. She absolutely did not want to room with/ hang out a lot with other Americans as she felt it would interfere with her improving her French.
Her apartment was in the 3rd just steps from the Place de la Republique. She came to value very much how central the apartment was and the fact that it was at a metro hub. For instance, when she was out socializing at night, she did not have to walk lonely semi-deserted blocks by herself from the metro to her apartment - she was in a very public, well-populated place at all times.
She said that many of her fellow US students ended up being quite disappointed in their family stays either because the families were very aloof and, to American sensibilities, seemed almost unfriendly, and/or the public transportation system was not convenient from where they were.
In addition to her university classes, DD had a job in a program administered by the French government teaching English in a Paris high school out in the suburbs. It was a loooong commute - about 50 minutes - and not a fun one. SHe hated it. The commute, not the job. She did it 3 or 4 days a week - frankly, she would have hated it even more if she had been living in those suburbs and had to do that commute to get back and forth to a social life and the action in the city.
I understand the fears and trepidations you allude to, and the urge to go chaperone her yourself, but it was an amazing maturing experience for our DD. If you can make it on your own in Paris, especially as a non-native, at the age of 21 ... well you've accomplished something! She really shows the effects of that accomplishment.
She opted for finding her own apartment to share. She found a great one to share with two French twenty-somethings - they were not students, but young working professionals. She helped them improve their (rudimentary) English while they returned the favor for to help her improve her French. It also had the added bonus of giving her an instant French social life with young French people close to her own age. Priceless.
As I remember her share of the rent/utilities/food was somewhere around 500 - 550 Euro. So her room and board was actually less than her dorm room board at her state university in California.
She found the apartment listed on ... can't remember exactly. I can ask her if you'd like to know. Her university provided a place for students to stay for about a month out at Cite Universitaire while they looked for living situations. I was very nervous about her answering ads and rooming with unknown people, but it all worked out extremely well for her. She absolutely did not want to room with/ hang out a lot with other Americans as she felt it would interfere with her improving her French.
Her apartment was in the 3rd just steps from the Place de la Republique. She came to value very much how central the apartment was and the fact that it was at a metro hub. For instance, when she was out socializing at night, she did not have to walk lonely semi-deserted blocks by herself from the metro to her apartment - she was in a very public, well-populated place at all times.
She said that many of her fellow US students ended up being quite disappointed in their family stays either because the families were very aloof and, to American sensibilities, seemed almost unfriendly, and/or the public transportation system was not convenient from where they were.
In addition to her university classes, DD had a job in a program administered by the French government teaching English in a Paris high school out in the suburbs. It was a loooong commute - about 50 minutes - and not a fun one. SHe hated it. The commute, not the job. She did it 3 or 4 days a week - frankly, she would have hated it even more if she had been living in those suburbs and had to do that commute to get back and forth to a social life and the action in the city.
I understand the fears and trepidations you allude to, and the urge to go chaperone her yourself, but it was an amazing maturing experience for our DD. If you can make it on your own in Paris, especially as a non-native, at the age of 21 ... well you've accomplished something! She really shows the effects of that accomplishment.
Dec 14th, 2009, 09:47 AM
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Wonderful, NorCalif.
If it's not too much trouble to get that apartment listing place, I'd appreciate it. She'd only be there for fall semester, but it still seems possible to find something. We'd just eat the cost, then. A good living situation would have to make all the difference.
(The chaperone part was wishful thinking type jest. Paris semesters unfortunately didn't figure in my college experience, so the universe still owes me.)
If it's not too much trouble to get that apartment listing place, I'd appreciate it. She'd only be there for fall semester, but it still seems possible to find something. We'd just eat the cost, then. A good living situation would have to make all the difference.
(The chaperone part was wishful thinking type jest. Paris semesters unfortunately didn't figure in my college experience, so the universe still owes me.)
Dec 15th, 2009, 02:02 PM
#17
Ann, the bulk of American kids doing this would be on the pampered white kid end of the spectrum, and some of their parents are paying $50,000/year to the home colleges even during this semester, and have their lawyers on speed dial.>>
would your DD like her own in-house lawyer? for a reasonable fee and expenses I'm sure i could nip over to Paris to help out!
would your DD like her own in-house lawyer? for a reasonable fee and expenses I'm sure i could nip over to Paris to help out!
Dec 16th, 2009, 06:31 AM
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Ann, I had kind of hoped that if any nipping over were needed, I'd be the nipper. Not that I'd be much help in front of a magistrate. Well, all right. Let's put you on retainer and set you up with an expense account.
Dec 17th, 2009, 02:52 AM
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Can you see if she can live at Cite Universite? It's the housing for students at many of the Paris Universities. There are no classroom buildings there, it's all dorms and it's very nice. Its in the 14th. My daughter did that. Her classes were all in the 5th. She met many other students from all over the world, not just Americans. Oh and by the way, she went to the state univ, not a $50,000 a year private school as someone above suggested. So did a lot of the people she met there. She is still friends with some of them.
She has since graduated and is now back in Paris working as an English teaching assistant in a French high school. She has an apartment now and pays 385€ a month. She shares it with two other (French) people. It's in the 18th. It's about the cheapest rent of all her friends (she's met up with a whole lot of other 20 somethings living in Paris, virtually all of whom did study abroad there while in college). But she didn't have a lot of trouble finding an apartment when she got there, took her a couple of weeks to find this one. So there are affordable short term apartment rentals in central Paris. A couple of her current friends live out in the burbs and complain about the long commute, not being able to go home in the middle of the day, or between work and an evening activity, etc. because of the commute. A couple of them are au pairs so they live in nice(er) central Paris apartments but they have to babysit a certain number of hours a week. That could be another options. My daughter also babysits (3 afternoons a week) to supplement the meager salary she earns, but she choose to keep that and her living arrangement separate.
She has since graduated and is now back in Paris working as an English teaching assistant in a French high school. She has an apartment now and pays 385€ a month. She shares it with two other (French) people. It's in the 18th. It's about the cheapest rent of all her friends (she's met up with a whole lot of other 20 somethings living in Paris, virtually all of whom did study abroad there while in college). But she didn't have a lot of trouble finding an apartment when she got there, took her a couple of weeks to find this one. So there are affordable short term apartment rentals in central Paris. A couple of her current friends live out in the burbs and complain about the long commute, not being able to go home in the middle of the day, or between work and an evening activity, etc. because of the commute. A couple of them are au pairs so they live in nice(er) central Paris apartments but they have to babysit a certain number of hours a week. That could be another options. My daughter also babysits (3 afternoons a week) to supplement the meager salary she earns, but she choose to keep that and her living arrangement separate.
