Living in Paris for the last three months, was very exciting and special. But before talking about all the great things you can experience in Paris, I want to start my blogpost with some useful information on the university.
Firstly, I can say that the rules at PSB are not as strict as we thought they would be at the beginning. So far, for example, no one has been excluded from a course for being late and the dress code is also not taken too seriously. But what you should be a little careful about are any absences for any other reason than being sick, as this can affect your final grade.
The courses we have at PSB are all very interesting and the professors are really nice and well-experienced. What you should keep in mind is that you have midterm exams, and the professor gets to decide whether this is going to be a written exam, a presentation or a project. The finals will always be a written exam. In general we had to prepare a lot of presentations, at home as well as during the lessons, which was demanding at times, but a great opportunity to practice your skills at presenting as well as your language skills.
Secondly, I wanted to talk a little about the French language course, that you can take additionally. A very important info at the beginning: the course is free for Macromedia students, so you don’t have to pay an extra fee. At PSB the French course counts as a regular course, which means that your attendance is mandatory and you will also get a grade for it and therefore have exams. But, the course cannot be recognized by Macromedia, so it won’t have any consequences if you might get a bad grade in this course. You can choose from three different language levels, and I think this is a cool opportunity to improve your French skills and to meet a lot of international people.
But of course besides going to PSB, we took our time to explore the city and to make some amazing memories. Here are my tips on what you should definitely do during your time in Paris.
This is a very pretty district around the third and fourth arrondissement. It’s very special since the streets are a lot smaller than in other districts. It is perfect for a little shopping trip, as there are my great shops like ‘& other stories’ or vintage shops, but you can also find luxury fashion. In the Marais you can also find super nice cafés like ‘Season’ and you can eat amazing Falafel at many places, but my favorite so far is ‘Chez Marianne’.
If you are interested in art and fashion, Paris is definitely the right place for you. As an EU citizen under the age of 25 you can get free entry to a lot of museums like the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay or the Picasso Museum, which is also located in the Marais. If not, you can get a huge discount on the price. My favorite museum so far has been the Musée d’Orsay, because you can see a lot of impressionists there like Monet or Manet and you can also see famous paintings of my favorite artist of all times: Van Gogh! What I also really liked was the Fondation Louis Vuitton. This is a private museum in which you can see Egon Schiele and Basquiat at the moment and you also get free access to the Jardin d’Acclimatation. There are also a lot of temporary exhibits in Paris like the Yves Saint Laurent Museum, so keep your eyes open!
This is a beautiful garden around the Palais du Luxembourg, where the Sénat de la République Française is located. I definitely recommend going there to enjoy nice weather and to take a little walk.
The Eiffel Tower is my favorite thing ever. You can see it from almost everywhere and I can never get used to looking at it. Going to the top is definitely worth it, but if you don’t like to spend money on it you also have a great view from the Arc de Triomphe where the entrance is free for you again.
If you are lucky like us and still have great weather during the fall, I can recommend to go to ‚Meow Rooftop Bar‘, which is located at Seine river. It has a really nice atmosphere and you can take your drinks with a beautiful view. If you might get cold, there is also a dancefloor inside. But keep in mind that they already close at the end of October and you should book a ticket online in order to get free entrance. Besides that, PSB student unions will also organize cool parties for you!
During Christmas time Paris really does become the city of lights. You can find Christmas lights in every street, which really gets you into the spirit. There are also a lot of Christmas markets, but many of them are only there for a couple of days. Except for the one at Jardin des Tuileries, which is called ‚La Magie de Noël‘, you can visit from the end of November even until January.
A trip to Disneyland is definitely worth it! We only went to one of the two parks, which is more than enough because there are so many attractions and things to do, it will take you the whole day. The Disneyland park is very cute and you really feel as if you were in a Disney movie. Our highlight definitely were the fireworks at the castle at night, but the whole day was so awesome and fun. A useful tip: Even if you are already inside the park you can always leave to eat and later go in again. Oh, and definitely buy your tickets online – this is much cheaper!
Besides these great things, there is much more that you can do in Paris, but I hope I could provide you with a small overview of your must-dos!
