Details

• France
• MASEEPDD-20
• Graduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 6 months

1. Preparation

Start your visa application at least three months before departure. The appointment slots fill up fast at the French consulate, and you'll need proof of housing, which creates this chicken-and-egg problem since landlords want to see your visa. I ended up in Cite Universitaire housing because private rentals were nearly impossible to secure from Vienna, and honestly, that worked out well for meeting other international students. Don't underestimate the paperwork either; France loves administrative documents, so get your birth certificate apostilled, gather bank statements showing you can support yourself, and make copies of absolutely everything. The financial side caught me off guard more than I expected. I budgeted for rent and tuition but didn't really factor in how expensive Paris would be compared to Vienna If you can and you're an active person, I recommend renting a bike instead of metro because Paris Metro is much more expensive than Vienna. Open a French bank account and get a French phone plan because a lot of services only work with those like CAF or insurance.

2. Accommodation

The accommodation search was honestly one of the most stressful parts of the entire experience. I started looking about three months before my departure, which felt early but turned out to be cutting it close. The private rental market in Paris is brutal – landlords wanted French guarantors, proof of income that often needed to be three times the rent, and many wouldn't even consider someone staying for just one semester. I must have sent fifty messages on various housing websites and got maybe five responses back. The scams were also rampant; I nearly sent a deposit to someone for an apartment that didn't exist until a friend told me to reverse image search the photos. Eventually, I gave up on the private route and applied to the Cite Universitaire, which is the student residence system, and got a spot in the Cambodia house there. Living in student residence ended up being the right choice for me, even though I'd initially wanted the independence of a private apartment. The Cité Universitaire is this massive complex in the 14th arrondissement with different houses representing various countries and cultures. I was in one of the international houses, sharing a floor with students from everywhere such as Brazil, Japan, South Korea, the US, etc.. The room itself was small, maybe twelve square meters, with a single bed, desk, wardrobe, and a sink. Bathrooms and showers were shared on each floor, and there was a communal kitchen that was always chaotic but also where a lot of socializing happened. The rent was around 500 euros a month, which for Paris felt like a steal compared to what I was seeing for studios in the city center. The trade-off was privacy and space, but I was rarely in my room anyway except to sleep and study. The location was further from my university than I would have liked. I studied in the 3rd arrondissement and Aubervilliers north of Paris, and the Cité is south in the 14th. My commute was about 30-60 minutes depending on where I had classes which was a hassle especially on early mornings or late evenings. That said, the 14th is a nice, residential neighborhood that felt safe even when I was coming home at midnight after hanging out with friends. I never had any issues walking around alone at night, though I stayed aware of my surroundings like you would in any big city. The area around the Cité has parks, affordable restaurants, and a big market on Boulevard Brune where I'd buy groceries. If I could go back and give myself advice, I'd say apply to student residences the moment you get accepted for your exchange. The waiting lists are long, and the earlier you apply, the better your chances of getting a spot. I'd also tell myself to be more flexible about location; I was initially fixated on living in certain arrondissements because they seemed more central or exciting. Another thing I wish I'd known was to join Facebook groups for international students in Paris before arriving – people post about roommates needed, sublets, and tips about housing scams. I found those groups halfway through my semester and realized I'd missed out on some good opportunities.

3. Academic life at host university

My program was spread across difference campuses so it was a bit chaotic, but generally I would say that there is much more of a "paternalistic" mentality in the French academic system. I had professors from all over the world in my program, but I found that the French professors were some of the most demanding, yet at the same time least pedagogically competent lecturers. Bottom line, try to find non-French lecturers unless you hear very good reviews about them. Additionally, the French grading system is quite harsh compared to Austria. It is a 20-point system, but everything from 16-20 is considered a 1 in Austrian grading terms. Then every two points less is a grade lower, i.e. 14-15.9 is a 2, 12-13.9 is a 3, etc. For me, it felt that much of the grading was not transparent and the expectations of the lecturers for assignments was not explicitly laid out. One class I had received final grades 12s or 13s for all 12 students, and when we requested feedback on our final papers, the comments ranged from minor critiques to missing criteria that weren't made clear in assignment guidances. But in the end, all these criticisms no matter how small or large resulted in effectively the same grade for everyone.

5. Every day life in the host country

For public transportation I ended up avoiding the Metro in favor of biking because it is both cheaper and often faster. The metro, especially the RERs are often delayed, while Paris has since the Olympics developed a lot of very good biking infrastructure. Instead of paying 80 euro a month for a Metro Pass, I paid about 25 euro a month rent a bike with insurance from Swapfiet. The safety situation was generally fine, though I had to be more alert than I am in Vienna. Pickpocketing is real, especially on tourist-heavy areas. But with the bike I felt fairly safe overall, although the "rules" of the road are a bit more chaotic. Paris is a busy city and you often have to weave through traffic jams at intersection or be on alert from one of the man oblivious tourists to get from place to place without an accident. Thankfully I never had any major crash. In my free time, I took full advantage of student discounts at museums – under 26 and you get into most national museums for free or heavily discounted, which meant I went to the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, and Rodin Museum multiple times without worrying about the cost. There are also free events constantly: open-air cinema in Parc de la Villette during summer, concerts in churches, street performances in front of the Pompidou Centre. And after long days of classes I would often go with my friends to a cafe/bar for some beer. You can find cheap places with an app called "MisterGoodBeer" which shows a map of the cheapest spots in town for beer. Sports options were available but required a bit more effort to find than I expected. My university had a sports program with discounted rates for things like swimming, yoga, and football, but the facilities weren't as accessible as what I'm used to in Vienna. I ended up joining a climbing gym that had student rates, which became my regular thing twice a week. The key is to actively seek these things out in the first few weeks because they're not always advertised super clearly, especially if your French isn't strong enough to navigate all the university websites and notice boards.

6. Testimonial

My semester in Paris was transformative in ways I didn't anticipate when I left Vienna. Beyond the obvious things like improving my French, seeing world-renown art, eating too much pastries, etc., it was the small moments that made it special. One day I stumble upon a hidden bookshop in the Marais, and that same evening I'm having long conversations over cheap wine by the Seine with friends from five different countries. Another day I'm getting completely lost in Belleville and discovering the best Vietnamese pho I've ever had. I learned to navigate uncertainty, to be comfortable being uncomfortable, and to say yes to experiences that scared me a little. Paris challenged me academically and personally, pushed me out of my comfort zone, and gave me friendships and memories that I know will last long after the semester ended. I came back to Vienna with a different perspective on what I want from life and a deeper appreciation for both cities. If you're considering studying abroad, do it – the logistics are stressful, but the experience is absolutely worth every frustrating visa appointment and housing search.