Introduction to the ten taboos of studying in France

1. Taboos of rushing back home after studying

If there is not much work pressure at home, finish your studies first The plan to find opportunities for development locally, even if it is difficult to realize in the future. Although this plan may not seem like a big deal, it may directly affect our motivation and specific actions to study here, resulting in different results. Because when some students encounter some opportunities here, or have the conditions to create opportunities, they will give up subjectively because they think, "I will go back to China immediately after studying anyway, and I will not stay here." Opportunities are rare in life, and we should strive for them even when we are abroad.

2. Taboo and fear of not communicating with others

We come to a strange place, a strange environment, far away from home, and everything around us is unfamiliar. Some people are very friendly, and some are very friendly. People are unfriendly, we all feel that way. But don't be afraid, all life procedures will continue as usual. Always try to communicate with others and listen to others talk. Some people said, "My French is very poor. I can't even speak in complete sentences. How can I communicate with others?" Brother, I was the same at the beginning. Besides, we must have spoken French during the interview, right? The reason why we learn this language is to speak in it.

3. Taboo of being lazy and staying at home

Some international students often stay in the house to kill time and do not go out often. They said, "There is nothing to do." I think most of the students studying abroad like us are young people. When we are young, it is not the age to say "there is nothing to do." In China, we sometimes go shopping and inquire about the latest situation, sometimes participate in some social activities, join some organizational groups or free clubs, sometimes go to the library to read some useful books, and sometimes play games with people we don’t know. We play ball, play sports, and sometimes go dancing or watch a movie in the evening. At least when we meet some new friends, if he invites us, we will go to his house to visit, and it’s the same here. Some people just rush into the house, pull out a network cable, and spend the whole day online, chatting with people in China. As time goes by, they begin to escape reality in this virtual environment, which is a bit different from domestic people. Like netizens. When you have time, go out and find social activities to participate in, which is helpful for practicing language, understanding society, and making some connections.

4. It is taboo to get together with Chinese students

Some Chinese students are afraid of communicating with French students, but they have to talk in life, so they seek a more convenient way, that is, to find My companions began to gather together, so the frequency of French use became even lower. There are some differences in the expression habits between French and English. What's even more troublesome is that its speaking speed is much faster than English. Some foreigners speak Chinese slowly and cannot form sentences, and the pronunciation is not accurate for us, so we can’t stand it, so don’t learn from them. If you don't speak French well, the other party will correct you, but how will they know if you swallow the sentence in your stomach and don't speak it? Language is the most important tool. When studying abroad, losing language means losing everything.

5. It is taboo to touch the credit system easily

Many international students will apply for a credit card or debit card at will after arriving in France, including mobile phone cards, which can be successfully applied for easily, but there are One thing that is often overlooked is that France has a strong credit system. For example, take a mobile phone card. If you don't plan to use it anymore, you must stop its service and don't throw it away like you do in China. No matter whether the phone card is in arrears or not, all the charges and liquidated damages for this phone card will always be there. Follow you. Some people say, won’t he be able to find me when I return to China? Haha...I'm sorry, France will send someone to fly to the country to find you to pay all the fees and liquidated damages, and the round-trip air tickets are included. Doesn't it sound terrible?

6. It is taboo to live together as a couple at will.

As soon as some international students arrive in France, they start to inquire about renting a house with their own people, even if they don’t know each other or are familiar with each other. This is actually It's very dangerous. Later, when everyone is busy with their own affairs, no one has time to care about the other. Embarrassing situations often happen, and they may even end up falling out. Before moving in together, be sure to consider whether you really need it.

Some Chinese boys quickly find a Chinese girl here to apply for a couple to live together, and they can receive double housing subsidies. This problem is not as simple as opening a house in China. It is much more difficult than finding a girlfriend in China, because the two of them are very close. When we are about to face all aspects of life together, there are some difficulties that we cannot understand before we experience them. It is also easy to double restrict the circle of activities of the two people and make them think twice before acting.

7. It is taboo to work blindly

In France, you can do farm work for 3 or 4 months in the summer. In normal times, when language or major studies are intense, some people work. Basically, they are doing odd jobs in Chinese restaurants and other jobs that are illegal and therefore have low wages. Some people say they want to experience life, while others say they need money. Be sure to weigh it before doing these jobs, because these jobs don't make much money, are not useful in language at all, and consume a lot of energy. I have a student who quit working in a restaurant when others were working in it and concentrated on learning the language. Later, his language improved rapidly and he had almost no problem speaking to French people. He then started working as a hotel waiter, and he was legally entitled to the minimum wage. Standard job. He said, "There are two jobs in a hotel. One makes little money but doesn't help with language, and one makes more money and still practices language. Which one do you choose?" I really admire his approach.

8. Taboos about not paying attention to physical health

We don’t go to France to enjoy ourselves, but don’t be too poor. One of my students relies on various vitamin pills sent from China to survive all day long, and only eats two eggs a day. There is another one who eats just a pot of macaroni and tomato sauce all day long. Because there is no oil or water in his stomach, he eats a big pot in one meal. You have to take care of yourself abroad. You can't afford to get sick. Medicine in France is super expensive, so you really have to be careful about what you eat. On the other hand, sports should be persisted, especially when one is mentally exhausted for a long time. Some people will stop continuing when they get lazy. Consistent exercise and physical fitness will definitely promote learning.

9. Taboo French laziness

Some students said: "When you go abroad, you must be able to endure loneliness." The feeling of loneliness is definitely there at the beginning. But one thing I want to say is that when doing things here, sometimes you cannot think in the same way as in China. For example, when applying for a school, you only apply for a certain school when you are very confident in China. It is different here. As long as it is not impossible, even if the possibility is only So even a little bit is worth trying. If you calculate it like this, there are a lot of things you should do. The French are notoriously lazy and should not be imitated, which is why many foreigners have had great success here.

10. It is taboo to miss your homeland

To be honest, I miss home too. My relatives and friends have not been seen for such a long time. I really want to spend three days and three nights chatting with each other, but not now, because it takes too much energy. Some students plan to return to their country to visit relatives during the summer vacation. The almost four months of free time in the summer is a rare opportunity for international students to work, exercise, do things that are useful to them, find factors that are useful to them, and do not miss their homeland too much.

Extended reading: Guide to applying for housing subsidy for studying in France

1. Housing subsidy

First of all, we need to know what is housing subsidy? It is a subsidy that is reviewed and issued by the government and complies with the APL agreement. The house rented by the applicant needs to meet the basic requirements in the agreement. Application is open to all residents who permanently live in France.

It is necessary to ensure that the area of ??the house is more than 9 square meters, and it is equipped with heating, running water, bathroom and other infrastructure; the personal income cannot exceed the average income level of the city, which is generally sufficient for international students. However, if you have If you are working part-time, you need to show relevant certificates.

The amount of housing subsidy can reach 50% of the rent, but the specific amount will be clearly limited. The housing subsidy for residents in Paris cannot exceed 163 euros, while the housing subsidy in other cities must be more than 140 euros. You can find a house on this basis.

2. Application materials

Students need to prepare their passports first, and then present copies of their residence certificate (Carte de sejour) and student ID card (Carte d'Etudiant). There is also an application form for housing subsidy (Demande d'Aide au Logement Etudiant).

Students who live on campus need to present a certificate of occupancy issued by CROUS. Students who rent a house must prepare a rental contract (Bail) and a rent receipt (Quittance de Loyer). Finally, they must also attach their own receipt. Subsidized bank account (RIB, Releve d'Identite Bancaire).

3. Application process

You need to log in to CAF first, click "Aide au Logement Etudiant" to enter the housing subsidy application interface, find the postal code of where you live, and confirm that you can apply. If your eligibility for housing subsidy is not found, you need to contact your landlord promptly.

Go to the application page and fill in basic information online, including complete address information, personal income (if an international student has received a scholarship, fill in the project name and award amount), and if sharing a room, provide basic information about roommates. , and finally fill in your bank account.

After confirming that the information is filled in correctly, confirm and you will get an application number. At this time, click "Pour lancer la transmission, cliquez ici" to submit. Remember to download the generated PDF file and keep it.

Extended reading: Application process for studying abroad in France

1. Registration qualifications

Applicants need to log in to the French Higher Education Agency, namely Campus France, to apply for studying abroad. For registration, you can choose to switch the page to Chinese, which makes it easier for everyone to see each requirement clearly, but you need to use French when filling in the information.

First create a personal account, then select the language, complete the required fields, finally check and confirm the submission of the information, then confirm the registration in the email, return to the website and log in to your account again to confirm the information. Just submit it.

2. Preparing materials

Students who successfully register will receive a list of materials that need to be submitted for application, which will detail the academic materials that you need to prepare and present, as well as There are various documents and other materials that need to be prepared when applying for a project, as well as materials that need to be prepared when applying for a scholarship.

Only the materials required for personal application are required, but they must be complete and authentic so that they can successfully pass the school's preliminary review. The deadline for submitting materials is the end of March.

3. Take the exam

During the preparation of materials, there is another important thing to do beforehand, that is, prepare for the French exam, TCF/TEF or DELF/DALF, which are more common. and exam types with higher recognition, just choose one directly.

TCF/TEF are valid for a limited period, which are two years and one year respectively, and exams are organized every month and every two months; DELF/DALF is valid for life, but only four times a year. Fixed exam opportunities.

IV. Submit the application

After completing the preparations for treatment, log in to Campus France, select the target school and major you want to apply for, submit the online application form, and then follow the instructions given Please provide the address information, mail the materials to the designated place, and then do other things after confirming that the review will begin.

5. Apply for a visa

Wait until you receive the offer before making an appointment for the visa application. Remember to leave yourself time to prepare the documents. Most of them are ready-made. After arriving at the embassy, ??submit the documents, pay the processing fee, and there is a certain chance that you will have to attend an interview and get the results in about a month.