Ilena (Sem 1, 2023)

My Exchange at Paris-Sorbonne University

I found out about the 360 International exchange programme through talking to other students who had been on exchange. In high school, I studied the International Baccalaureate because I originally wanted to do my entire degree overseas– but while researching, I realised that UoA offered year-long exchanges, and that I could potentially do it in two different places. With how expensive an international degree is, and considering that I could still get NZ fees and StudyLink while doing an exchange, it seemed like a no-brainer to do that– get the best of both worlds, overseas and the comforts and advantages of studying primarily in my home country.

When I first arrived, I was super excited. I came a month in advance and honestly, I wouldn’t cut it any finer. It was incredibly stressful trying to find somewhere to live. In Paris, even for French people, it’s extremely hard to find accommodation. Dealing with old French landlords who don’t speak English and who are very reticent to rent out to short-term students is difficult. I was lucky to have some family friends to live with for the first couple of weeks– if I’d had no immediate landing pad I would’ve been quite worried! It is also quite difficult to find student accommodation, so basically most people do have to go the private renting route. I’d say that was one of the hardest things about my Paris exchange. French bureaucracy with visas, housing, phone bills etc., is all quite painful. In the end, I found a great place though, through la carte des colocs– other good sites include leboncoin (French TradeMe). I flatted with one other guy my age who was working full-time and it ended up being really chill! It’s worth looking a little bit outside the city– I lived in Clichy, but was really near the 14 métro line so it took only 20 mins to get to university right in the 5th arrondissement.

One thing you need to know about the Sorbonne is that there is very, very little student support. You have to find out most things by yourself, there are hardly any emails about specific international exchange info, and all the timetabling, registration etc is done in person. There was barely an orientation. There’s no easy system to enrol in classes like at UoA. So just be very prepared and proactive about everything. I did literature and film classes and they were all very traditional in their content and approach. You won’t get any cutting edge, super liberal classes here. It’s all 18th century literature and classic philosophers– which is interesting! Just different. Also, something I didn’t know AT ALL was that all the papers have their assessments as in-person, 3-5 hour exams, all in French, and you’re only allowed a French to French dictionary. There are not really at home assignments and essays like at Auckland. This REALLY caught me off-guard. However, don’t stress too much at the same time– if your French is legible, they seemed to be pretty easy on marking with the exchange students, because they know it’s our second language. You don’t need to stress too much about conjugating être right, as long as it’s comprehensible.

The courses were super interesting, and my French improved so so much in the 6 months of studying, living, going out, and chilling in Paris, compared to my 8 years of learning it in a French class in NZ. I found that the French Sorbonne students weren’t super eager to make friends with the exchange students, but that was fine. The buildings were really beautiful, particularly the library. The teachers and students smoke together and drinks espressos from a vending machine on campus, and are all dressed really well– quite different to Auckland in that regard!

I thought Paris was great. There are a lot of people that say you’ll be disenchanted by Paris; get ‘Paris syndrome’ when you realise it’s not like it is in the movies. Like, sure, it’s a city. Cities are dirty; cities are tourist-infested; and cities are always a little rude and rushy. I loved the architecture though, the European feel, the fascination of walking through supermarket aisles and looking at the French packaging. Paris has an amazing Francophone music scene– I went to a lot of gigs and just tried to strike up conversations with people at bars. It was so eye-opening to try and speak French while going out and realising that so many cool young people our age actually don’t speak English; and that it is so presumptive to just think that you’re all good to waltz around Europe speaking English to everyone. That it is a worthwhile and eye-opening thing to learn a second language, and rewarding when it means you can communicate in a fully-fledged conversation with someone that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to.

Cost of living was quite expensive. In hindsight, I wish I’d tried to have gotten a one day a week job. I was too chicken at the time though, with my language skills. Food was expensive but plentiful. Lower quality I’d say. Some things like cheese and wine were way cheaper though 😉

I really recommend doing a language exchange in Paris; going to Sorbonne as opposed to one of the English-teaching universities, if you’re trying to get better at French. I had friends go to Sciences Po, and although they had a good time, they really didn’t get that many opportunities to speak and write in French, because outside of uni it is easy and comforting to just hang out with other English speakers. I had an amazing time and although I was lowkey stressed about even passing my papers (once I found out they weren’t at home assignments, and that my French skills would thus be put way more to the test), everything worked out in the end and I’m glad that I challenged myself. If you want to improve your language, you simply have your best opportunity to do it within an exchange– you have no stress in terms of grades, because you just have to pass the papers, and it won’t affect your GPA. So go for it!

Q&A

What were some of the highlights of the academic experience at your host university?

I really enjoyed reading original French texts in my literature classes, rather than English translations. It made me appreciate how much of a creative hand the translator has in their job, and how different original words are. We read authors such as Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Marguerite Duras and Albert Camus.

It was also really satisfying once I got the hang of exams in French. I won’t lie in that the quality of my essays was far below what I’d usually write in English, but there was a point where I started to feel fluid in my writing, as opposed to being incredibly jilted and stuck in having to think about silly little grammar things.

What are your top 3 tips for future students attending your host university or going on exchange to your host country?

Make sure you have somewhere to live immediately, and then be really proactive about looking for somewhere to live ASAP when you get there, because the competition and prices are crazy.

Save way more money than you think you need! Cost of living and the excessive lifestyle of living in a cool, big new city, means that you get drained way quicker than you might expect. Also the easy access of Europe makes it tempting to travel heaps (which you should), and that also drains money. Maybe get a part-time job. I wish I had.

Make sure you pass all your papers, but make sure that you make the most of this crazy opportunity. Don’t be lame and spend all your time in the library, but nonetheless, enjoy your learning. BUT, spend heaps of time at the museums and galleries, going to the gigs, getting involved in clubs and going to events. There is so much to do and so much learning to be had outside of your classes.

How much did you budget for your exchange? Was this enough? Were there any lessons learned that would help future students budget for their own exchange?

Not nearly enough. I got the exchange scholarship, and I took out my holiday pay from my part-time job in NZ and worked a bit more, which gave me a few thousand. I then was lucky to have parental help throughout my study period as I wasn’t eligible for student allowance, and then I maxed out my course-related costs and got max living costs from Studylink. This made it okay to get by without working, but I wish I had gone harder with working full-time before I left NZ and also with working part-time while studying. I totally had the time to do it. I ended up being pretty down to the wire each week, but it was workable. It was a source of stress, however.

What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?

The world is so much bigger than you think it is. The city is so unforgiving. You really need to hustle in this life. You are one in a sea of many. The English-speaking world is so limited.

Do you want to share anything about travels you did outside your host city/country?

I went to Berlin and Porto for a few days each. It was lovely. Wish I’d travelled more.