American University of Paris

Take the Subway

Parking is very very difficult to find all over Paris, so don't even bother buying or bringing a car. Paris is a very convenient city to walk in. The subway is also extremely convenient. There are 3 subway stops close by to the university campus. The subway is generally on-time and is by far the easiest way to travel around the city. Don't bother with taxis, buses or cars. Too expensive and traffic is horrendous. The subway is expensive if you buy one ticket at a time. Much cheaper to buy a yearly student pass called the "Carte ImaginR." Subway stations are an easy walk to most of the destinations you'll ever need to go. And it's easy to find housing around subway stations

Smoking

Almost everyone smokes. Drinking is common, but it is Paris! It's common to find students walking to the local park with bottles of champagne and snacks with friends. And since France has virtually no age restriction, you can buy alcohol at restaurants the minute you get there. There is no alcohol seen at school. However, the school does organize pub crawls with everyone at the university can attend. All the school-organized dances are located at nightclubs. However, the drinking scene is mostly off-campus and generally more for social than for the "cool factor." Although American students in particular tend to take it overboard.

Diverse and Open-Minded

The major appeal of this school is not only is it in one of the greatest cities in the world, Paris, it's students and faculty reflect a certain true diversity you cannot find in any college in the US. There are students and faculty from all over the world. 70% of the entire student body is non-American. This brings very interesting perspectives into class room discussions. Because of this the school focuses on making it's students internationally diverse and open-minded about different cultures. It also integrates the wonderful things about Paris into the curriculum, with frequent field trips to its many museums and weekend trips to the likes of England, Italy, Morocco, and many many more countries in the area. The school's student also forces students to embrace Paris as their home. Without dorms, students have to find housing on their own. But this allows students to blend into Parisian life and culture. Overall, attending AUP is a fantastic way for non-francophones to have a chance to live in the great city of Paris, while learning french in the process