What Paris school would be the best?

What advice would you give to a US student wanting to attend graduate school in Paris?

• Specifically University Descartes/Paris V for Psychology. Any type of advice be at paperwork, records, language requirements, when to apply, tuition costs, best places to find an apartment, etc. Any insights would be much appreciated.

• Answer:

  I'm definitely not resident in Paris but I might have some useful advice. My brother, as well as most of my friends, are living there for studies/work. First, as an American, you'll be surprised by: 1- the cost of living (food, clothes etc..) which are generally higher then the US 2- the importance of the state and bureaucracy in their daily life. Be prepared for these two things. I'll now proceed on your points one by one: Paperwork: usually easy to get a visa. Need to go through Campus France first, here's a link for their websites. http://www.usa.campusfrance.org/en/ Language: even though Paris is a very international city, knowing notions of French is highly recommended. French usually don't speak English very well or no English at all. It might be the case in Sorbonne given its status but I would definitely advise to take a French class before going. When to apply: it depends on the school but usually the deadlines are very late in American standard. Usually around March/April for the next term. Tuition costs: Except some Grandes Ecoles in business, French universities are almost free Best place to find an apartment: try to find near your campus. Paris can be depressing if you have a lot of transportation everyday. Subway gets super crowded. Also, you should prepare yourself for a very demanding search. By contrast to most US cities, it is very hard to find an apartment that corresponds to what you want. They usually small and expensive. And prefer living in Paris Intramuros, meaning center not suburbs. Suburbs in France are the opposite of the US. Hope this helps!