Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Do not be fooled by the school; the variety of international students who attend this university are top notch, and will become your friends long after you graduate. There is no other place that you will meet students from around the world (Russia, Brazil, EU countries, UK, US), and be able to truly say you have a global network of friends. French students and international students oftentimes do not mingle because of the language barrier, but the effort made to speak it has the most powerful influence on how close you become to French students. They are curious to help you integrate, and will return however much of yourself you give to them. Not enforcing the use of textbooks is a crying shame the university has yet to rectify.

On-site administration of your program

There are three main people who run the school administration. They are always helpful whenever there is a problem with academics or not (apartments, overseas banking issues, translator, culture event recommendations, etc.), and I could not have functioned with them. However, they are overworked. The main online communcation medium, the Intranet, is not edited often for user friendliness. Instead of adjusting to students, it feels sometimes like its vice versa. This is reflected in the class schedules not being set on a weekly basis. Professors wear many hats, teaching at different universities, similar programs at IPAG, so their schedules can mean your class changes at a moment's notice.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

14 Rue Meyerbeer, 4eme Etage (5th floor) Apartment with balcony. 2 br, living room, kitchen for 4 people, about 400 Euros/person a month. No elevator, no dryer, washer in the bathroom, 220 volt electrical plugs. Clothing must be air-dryed. Kitchen cookware, kitchen table, television, 2 beds, 2 futons provided. 30 minutes by foot to school, 5 minutes walking to beach, and close to the center of Nice. Buses were available two streets north, one Euro each ride, which arrive within a 1 minute walking distance of school. <br /><br /> Even without an elevator, my top floor apartment had an amazing view and great ventilation. It was spacious and had furniture included, though utilities were not paid. Finding an apartment will be another difficulty if your agency is not Gilletta Immobilier, recommended by the university. All lease terms are obviously written in French, but some agencies may trick you into paying more than what you owe precisely because you are a foreign student. A suggestion is to use Gilletta, or rent from a private landlord who you can directly communicate with. Nightlife is always available, though you are free to choose how much you become involved in it. It is not uncommon to host parties at your apartment, given it is large enough. Noise is often a problem, but dealing with the aftermath can strain your relationship. My own agency was capricious, brusque and unprofessional at times. Once, after several parties in a week, they notified us 15 minutes before arrival before immediately accosting us (yelling, pointing fingers, threatening to kick us out, being disgusted with the state of unkemptness all included.) Also, internet was not included. Our apartment only survived because someone lent us an SFR username and password that allows us to access several hotspots around France. Even when it was accessed, it was not reliable. One lesson is that Internet is not as abundant as it is in the US (nor is using public bathrooms!) and getting access to it will come at a price. Make friends with those who have internet access, use internet cafes, but for most of us it is imperative you must get your own internet connection at all costs.

Although the majority of provisions were Italian cruisine, there were international themed parties where friends brought fares from their home countries to try. Southern French produce is high quality because the French do not tolerate having chemicals and herbicides to treat their food. One time, when I picked my eggs from the store, there was still a feather in the egg carton. Another time, lettuce I picked up from the store still had a snail on it. That is an example of how fresh it is. There are many ethnic restaurants from Northern African cruisine (Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, etc.) or Asia (Vietnam, China, Thailand). As American students, however, you would be most acquainted with the kebab shop, which usually cost about 5 Euros. Wine is often consumed with meals, but here it is an art to drink more for pleasure than purely getting inebriated.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

There were so many opportunities I took to interact with other students everyday at their own apartments that I never got bored. Monaco is next door, which provides fun nighttime trips using public transportation. Integration Weekend in the Fall is a must--it is a party for 1st years French students, but int'l students are invited to join. The price tag is expensive, maybe around 150 Euros, but for transportation, accomodation, niçoise food, games, party, and networking, it is worth every penny you spend. Through this program, I became accustomed to a completely different way of living that liberated me from the monotany of US college education, but yet made me appreciate it all the same. The verdict: the experience of living in Nice is a real joy with the international students on this program. It is worth a semester and the tribulations that may come with it.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Do not forget there is a two-step visa process that must be taken care of during your stay as a student. First, a Visa de Long Sejour (Long-Stay Visa) must be obtained before you arrive in France. This requires you to fill out a CampusFrance account online and bring proof of your study abroad at school. Second, a OFII (Office of Immigration and Integration) visa must be obtained after submitting paperwork within a month of your arrival. You receive an appointment for a checkup, answer health questions, and receive a sticker in your passport. However, be reminded that the French government is notoriously slow and inefficient with paperwork. Plan ahead and get all of your papers in as early as possible.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

My pronunciation of French is now respectable, whereas before I could not visualize how I could ever speak the difficult subtleties.

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• Apartment

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• International Students