Details

• France
• BaWiSo-23
• Undergraduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months

1. Preparation

My tips for the application process are that you prepare yourself using the questions from your application form. It is important to show the interviewers that you are confident about living abroad and that you are capable of living alone in a new environment. You should be able to explain why a semester abroad would benefit you and students in general, and how it is related to or beneficial for your studies. Show them that you are open-minded and interested in different cultures(maybe explain a similar experience abroad you had previously, comparing it to what you expect from the following semester). The interviewers were super kind, and they didn't ask specific questions regarding my university, but it wouldn't hurt to know something about the host university and the country of your exchange semester. Preparing for an exchange semester in Paris requires both academic and personal preparation. Academically, it is essential to review the course offerings, understand the teaching style, and plan the workload in advance. Try to plan the courses as soon as possible, and then let them be accepted by WU so you don't have any problems during your stay abroad. On a personal level, learning basic French, familiarizing oneself with cultural norms, and organizing accommodation early are key steps.

2. Accommodation

I was lucky because I have family in Paris, so I didn't have to worry about finding accommodation. I lived in an apartment in the 9th arrondissement. However, many other exchange students staying in Paris have shared their experiences with me: There is a student accommodation called "Crous" that is not too expensive, relatively good, and also safe (the one in the 11th arrondissement is particularly good). If you are searching for an apartment, I would start early, and I advise you to visit them before booking something, as many of my friends were tricked and lived in very tiny apartments, which were really expensive. You should consider Airbnb for the month. In general, the rent for apartments of my friends was between 1.000 and 2.000 euros. Reading the reviews is really important as a lot of "student accommodations" ensured rooms and took the caution, but then never replied to my friends. For safety reasons, I wouldn't get an apartment near the big train stations and never outside the city center(the circle around the city). The best and safest arrondissements to live in are the first, the 9th, the 8th, the 6th, the 5th, and the15th.

3. Academic life at host university

The campus was way smaller than the WU campus, which makes it easy to find your way around. The plans hanging on the walls make it easier to understand the system of letters and numbers for the rooms. The university has extra exchange courses for the exchangees, and I would recommend taking only these courses, which have the same grading as our courses at WU(the „local“ courses have a lower grading system). As for the teaching style, Dauphine classes are always 3h long with a fifteen-minute break in between. They won’t let you in the classroom when you are late(normally they do, but they say it in the welcome week). Normally, you are not allowed to leave the room during the course to use the bathroom or something. You are not allowed to eat during the courses. The courses seemed easier compared to the ones at WU, but they are also less structured. The courses included one presentation and an exam at the end. Mostly, there were no participation points.

5. Every day life in the host country

The public transport is really good - metros come every 2 minutes, but sometimes they are very full. In general, you are everywhere in the city in less than 30 minutes. The public transport is more expensive in Paris than in Vienna, as you have to pay a monthly pass for 88 euros. I advise you to have the ticket on your phone because if you buy the metro card, you have to make sure to get a picture of yourself on the back; otherwise, you can be fined 60 euros. Obiously Paris is not as safe as Vienna, but in total, there were no situations where I felt unsafe or in danger. Of course, I wouldn’t walk through the city alone at night unless the area is crowded, but if you are aware of your surroundings, you should be completely fine. I would just avoid the big train stations at night and in general metro stations like Gare du Nord, or the metro line 13, because it goes to the outside of Paris, and the people can be weird sometimes. Also, I would avoid Saint Denis bus station. There are many social activities planned by the Dauphine-exchange committee. There is also an Erasmus group which organizes cheap trips to Normandy or other places with some fun activities. Paris in general has a lot to offer: almost every museum or attraction is free for EU students, and there are cheap theater plays. The welcome week was a really important week to find friends at Dauphine, but if you join the Dauphine-Erasmus group or any Erasmus group, you’ll find friends easily. Dauphine had sports options for 65 euros per year, I think, but I didn’t use them. Instead, I used ClassPass, which has one month free for you to try out different studios and courses like pilates or yoga. Sports in general are way more expensive than in Vienna. There are also a lot of gyms, but I didn’t try them.

6. Testimonial

My exchange semester at Université Paris Dauphine was a truly formative experience for me. Studying in an international and academically demanding environment challenged me to think more critically and confidently, while interacting with students from different cultural backgrounds broadened my perspective both academically and personally. Living in Paris pushed me out of my comfort zone, strengthened my independence, and deepened my interest in cultural diversity, making the exchange an experience I will never forget and will always be truly grateful for. I recommend everyone to do an exchange semester, and doing it in Paris was really special!