It's Adventure Time

Getting the student ID is kind of weird… I’m guessing it’s different at each school but here’s my experience anyway.

I woke up, made some mad delicious eggs, and left the apartment. Transport was simple- straight up to the last stop on the 13 line. When I got to campus though all I could do was spin in circles. Mind you, this is only the 2nd time I’d set foot on campus (3rd if you count me walking in the front entrance and straight back out again with a friend fuming about the prematurely closed office). I finally found the international office and was pleased to see that there were only two other girls in there who seemed to be finishing up their paperwork. I waited. For a while.

Finally the girls left the office and the secretary turned her attention towards me. She reminded me a bit of Dolores Umbridge… not nearly as pink or evil, but there was still a familiar aire about her. Let’s call her Dolores from now on. Dolores was visibly displeased to find out that I was there for my student ID and I soon found out why. She grabbed a few things and made sure that I had payment- there was a little hesitation about my Bank of America card but she figured out that it wasn’t the same as American Express (not accepted by anyone anywhere) and off we went.

I followed Dolores all around the school. It’s all a blur now- I’m not sure where we went or how far we walked. There were stairs and outside courtyards and different colored buildings and crowded waiting rooms. We cut the line in front of a ticket window and they took my card to pay for my social security. It was 211€ which is $285 which is a lot. There are so many expenses here that I didn’t budget for before coming… I’ll do a separate blog post all about it soon. At this point they showed me a screen to verify the details of  Calosce Paetow. I had a mini heart-attack but they fixed the spelling right away. Can you imagine paying that much and having huge complications later on because some bro behind the window put your name in wrong? Scary.

Next I was shooed towards a clump of people near a computer desk lady. I couldn’t tell who was waiting to do things and who was waiting for results… there were people sitting and standing and looking slightly zombieish… after a few minutes though Dolores came back and handed the computer lady what I guess was my file. Instead of having me sit down for a picture they just aimed the camera down at my photobooth picture (stapled to the form). So my photo ID pic is a pic of a pic. Fancy, huh?

That was kind of the end of the grand tour… Dolores brought me back to her office and gave me some pamphlets and papers. She told me what to do with each thingy and I didn’t really catch much of it. I think I was supposed to set up a student email account which I still haven’t done. I’ll add it to today’s to-do list! The rest of the day was nice… I had a great sandwich in the cafeteria and then took the train home. The street market was on so I bought myself a few cheap pairs of shoes- I desperately needed the sneakers (click to see old vs new) but the flats were just too pretty to pass by (mad cheap, too). I also bought some notebooks and a planner and groceries. By the time I got back to the apartment I was feeling so productive and wonderful I allowed myself to sit down and watch a buttload of Breaking Bad. It was a good day.

Registration was an interesting process.

For those who don’t know, I’m studying at Paris 8-Saint Denis for my first semester (and then either staying for cinema courses or switching to Paris 3-Sorbonne Nouvelle for the second semester). Registration was last week for us from the 16th to the 20th of September, but it’s different for each school. Victoria is going to Paris 10-Nanterre and her registration was all this week (the 23rd to the 27th).

All the courses I selected are FLE or Français langue étrangère- it’s like ESL (English as a second language) back home. If you’re coming to Paris with a lower level of French skill I highly recommend going to Paris 8. In Paris 10 I know they only have 3 options for instructional French classes: Écrite, Orale, and Civilisation/Vie Culturelle. Paris 8 has a million options. From “Phonetique” and  “Grammaire Avancée” to “Mysteries of Paris” and “60 Ans de Chanson Française,” the schedule options are staggering. Beyond that, of course, you can always take classes in other departments, but only the FLE classes will be taught specifically for foreign students.

The FLE office is in Batiment A

To register you have to go to the right department during the right week. Registration for certain departments (like the cinema dept.) happens a week later. Outside the department office you should see a bulletin board with the course listings for the semester. At the FLE office the courses were pinned up in a neat grid following the days of the week and the times so it was really easy to visualize it fitting into a schedule. When I checked out the cinema department it was different- they had many more courses so it was just a long list with the course code, day/time, professor, and room number. The listings at the FLE department each had their own sheet of paper- you could flip them up to see a brief description of the course to get a better idea of whether you wanted it/needed it.

After selecting the courses and jotting down the details, we (myself and a few other MICEFA students) waited in line in the office. It was the first morning of registration so I think we beat part of the crowd. It only took about 8 minutes and then we were drawn into a little side room with a round table with all the course sheets spread around. I was nervous- I feared that any little mistake could mess up my schedule for the whole semester- but at the same time had thoughts of King Arthur in Camelot. Here I was at this round table selecting the best soldiers to aid me in my quest for fluency. It was much grander in my head.

Anyway I found the papers for my classes and jotted down my name and nationality (I wasn’t even able to put down my student ID number because our cards wouldn’t be ready until the next day) and that was it. No signatures or declarations or social security numbers or passport information. Just put your name on the list and leave. One of us could’ve gone and signed up for everyone else! Actually this brings me to an important bit. One girl planned to travel during part of the week- it was about 10 days between the end of the MICEFA course and the start of Paris 8 classes. When we did our campus visit, however, Dr. Prodeau (our former director) insisted that it would be impossible and that she could not miss any part of registration week. The girl had already paid for travel and had to cancel it all. I think she lost money. The day we registered she was furious- she’d missed a chance to travel and lost money all for nothing. If you want to try to travel before your semester abroad officially starts, make sure you check it out from all angles before putting down money or canceling!

The big tip before we were all left to dive in headfirst was to sign up for more than we needed and then drop a few classes after the first week. I find this to be sound advice. It is easy to drop a class- you just need to let the professor know. To add a class, however, you need to speak to the professor and ask to be let in… simple enough, right? Wrong, and simply because there is no room for you. In most classes. In a lot of the classes. Whatever just make sure you sign up for what you need from day one! I registered for six classes that first day, signed up for two of the MICEFA courses a few days later, and then considered trying to get one of the four cinema classes that looked intriguing. I stopped the train at cinema station… that can wait until semester 2. Now I just have to drop two or three and get a part-time job and I’ll have a reasonable, livable weekly schedule!

Anyway, that’s about it. TL;DR: Paris 8 – Saint Denis has the best options for FLE classes and has a very simple registration process. If you’re studying abroad and want to make side trips, do your research first. Go on the first morning to make sure you can get the classes you want… the early bird gets the worm! Or something.

It’s only a model.