University of London in Paris

[Toffeevodkaplease]

Does anyone have any knowledge/experience of this?
It looks as though costs are the same as UK university (though will that stay the case) and as though there aren't any university specific halls of residence so private rentals might be required? I'm imagining that would be prohibitively expensive but I'd be very interested if anyone has any experience. Thank you.

Isn’t it meant to be for students already in Paris? What would be the advantage of anyone else going there?

No it's for anyone - international, British, French etc.
My dc wants to do international relations and it looks like a good course with a lot of practical applications. He also is interested in a year in France (which might be the route he goes down if he goes to a British uni) or potentially IR with French.
He'd like to work abroad in the future, potentially in France.
His French teachers have suggested we look at this uni and I just thought it would be worth getting any information about it from people who know about it.
The A level requirements are lower than his expected grades but it looks as though they interview as well.

I do think renting alone in Paris isn’t easy. Making friends won’t be easy either! I don’t think there is much to recommend it over a British university course. UCL does a great course - European Social and Political Studies where you study an additional language. I would say this or similar at UCL in London is better. IR is studied by so many and few get jobs in their chosen field. Ditto politics students. So aiming high, and not going somewhere which requires lower grades, is a better course of action. Then do a year abroad and get work experience. Of course lots of these jobs are taken by all sorts of grads. MFL, history, politics, and many others open exactly the same doors. Getting through the doors requires more.

I’m not sure French teachers are the best to advise either. Who would he like to work for abroad? A company? The British Government? A NGO in Geneva? All of this is possible when studying here but I think potential friends would be a concern for me with no halls.

I have similar concerns and I don't think he's particularly wedded to the notion but I was just wondering if anyone had any insight.
UCL is probably too close to home for him to be prepared to consider (though thank you for that; I don't know if he's seen that option) but there are other options that look good that are slightly further afield. He will probably apply to HSPS at Cambridge as well although the course is quite different from IR elsewhere.
He doesn't know who he wants to work for. He used to like the idea of working for the UN or the EU. I think he's now thinking about big private companies like banks. It's all so very much up in the air.

I would say Cambridge and other top universities here confer more prestige. I wouldn’t go anywhere asking for lower grades. I would also advise applying for internships. Certainly getting a cv together is useful. Being proactive at uni is a great help too. I’m not sure what jobs in the EU are now around for Brits as we are no longer members. More limited than they were I think. DDs friend who works for a merchant bank did PPE at Oxford.

DS is not at ULIP himself, but has met quite a few ULIP students while on his uni placement in Paris. The ones he knows seem to be happy with the experience and having a good time. The ULIP students DS knows seem to be quite a close knit group. The students he knows live in private flatshares, but I think they are second years. DS isn't sure whether there's any specific uni accommodation for first years.

Not a ULIP student but I have been studying in Paris for the latter half of last year as part of a Year Abroad so have a little bit of insight. Much like @Boosterquery 's DS, I met quite a few ULIP students while I was there!

I rented alone and got along very happily, although I had the advantage that I already knew other people from my uni etc. who were also there. Similarly, cohorts of ULIP students arrive every year so there will be other English students that he will know before going (it may be that he would live with them) and there are tons of English students in Paris, so the social scene is good! If he's already an outgoing lad, it may not be that different from moving away from home to a UK university with the obvious added pressure of being abroad.

Like you mentioned, costs are extortionate - a lot of people I knew were paying somewhere between $800-$1000 a month for their flats/houseshares. My flat was less than that, but very small - as with many things, the further in advance you sort it, the cheaper prices will be. General cost of living is also significantly higher, though not dissimilar to living in London, (without factoring in travel costs). I and other students managed with student loans and Erasmus grants. The Erasmus grant, to the best of my knowledge, was not available to ULIP students doing their full degree in Paris, but now it is the Turing Scheme it may be completely different, I have no idea.

The main drawback I would highlight is that if his main goal is to improve his French, ULIP is not the place to go IMO. ULIP students I met said almost without fail that they spoke very little French, as their classes were all in English, all of their friends are English, and everyone in Paris speaks English! As @TizerorFizz says he is probably better off studying over here but looking to do a Year Abroad. He would still have the chance to go to Paris if he wanted but would be able to study/work in French, or even head to somewhere else in France where English is less ubiquitous!

All that being said, I had an amazing time in Paris, it really is an incredible city and I'm sure if he did go, he'd enjoy it. However, as you mentioned he's not particularly wedded to the idea of ULIP, it's probably worth looking at some other options.

Apologies for the hugely long post but hope some of the info is useful! Feel free to PM me if you want to know any more specifics about living in Paris etc.

@Toffeevodkaplease
My DD did French and Italian at Bristol. They are highly regarded for IR with a year abroad and they do joint honours Politics and French. My DD did her semester for French at the University of Geneva. This could give him a decent insight into what NGOs are there and how you work for them. Certainly a goal for many Geneva students who a multi lingual. If he’s doing French A level there’s quite a wide range of world class universities and they are not all in France. DD found Geneva was exceptional. Their halls for international students were cheaper than here! Obviously the teaching was in French.

I don’t know how Turing will work out but if you are learning French it’s part of the course so students should get priority. I would definitely look at this route and ensure he goes to a very good RG uni where many students are ambitious.

Thanks everyone.
@Boosterquery thank you that's helpful.
@thetwofridas thank you for that insight - is good to hear from someone who's studied a year in France.
@TizerorFizz thank you. Bristol is on the list already because the Politics and French course looks great. Good to hear more details. Thank you!

@Toffeevodkaplease

Obviously he would need to check Geneva is still offered as a year abroad. Lots of DDs friends who went to Paris were less impressed. I remember DD saying the lecturers at Bristol said the most organised universities were in Switzerland and Germany. I wasn’t surprised! DD still in touch with her Swiss friends. Italy on the other hand - least said re organisation!

@TizerorFizz Haha, organisation certainly not a strong point of the university I attended in Paris which caused some problems - I suppose it's all part of the cultural experience

DD found the experience chalk and cheese! Would not have changed either but Italian universities are a law unto themselves! But she was warned!

I think my DC looked at it but dismissed it because it is TINY and has very limited courses so the social life there will be on a much smaller scale than at Sorbonne or Sciences Po or any of the London unis if your DC is looking for an equivalent.