Getting Settled

Here's the order I went about getting settled after fumbling around trying to figure stuff out!

1. Get a Navigo Metro Card

The metro doesn't sell paper Carte Orange anymore. Stop by a RATP agence commerciale, which are listed on their website under "contacts utiles" and get a Navigo. When I have to get to Nanterre, I buy a monthly pass of 3 zones (around 70 euros). If you get here before school starts and don't need to go to Nanterre, just buy for 2 zones. Its a lot cheaper than buying separate tickets everyday and will make the apartment hunting a lot easier. Navigo works on bus, metro, RER, and makes using the Vélib bike system easier.

2. Get an apartment

3. Get Carte de Sejour
If you are a non-EU citizen, go HERE. I'd try and get a Carte de Sejour ASAP. It makes opening a bank account much easier, and after you have your Carte de Sejour and a bank account, you can apply for a monthly CAF stipend (usually around 150-180euros a month) from the French government. You will get the CAF retroactively for all the time you're paying rent except the 1st month. It's fabulous.

4. Open bank account

Broadstrokes - Advice to 1Ls considering applying to Paris Dual Degree Program

To share my own perspective, I think it might be helpful to understand what I wanted out of the program and how it has fit those needs. Going into law school, I knew I wanted to work on an international level of some sort, but was confused as to where/how/what field/etc. I also wanted to make a good amount of money for a few years and then move into govt/nonprofit/intl org later down the road. I was hoping to work in a large international law firm immediately after law school. Unfortunately, my grades and lack of journal did not make me the most desirable candidate in the states. I wanted to differentiate myself from the hundreds of other students who are not in the top 20%, and so I decided that although it wasn't a well-developed academic path, that the dual degree might be my best option.

I have to say that the academic experience is not nearly at the level of quality I had at WCL. It's unorganized and tedious and a lot of times impractical. Having said that, if you are self-motivated and proactive, you can get a lot out of the courses here, but you have to fight through it. And it's not easy to get settled here either as the simplest sounding things can take a lot of running around. I feel like it took a good 4-5 months before I felt really settled. I've studied abroad before, but since the program is still shaky, it took a lot longer to get things organized.

I honestly don't know what the value-added is if you want to go back to the states immediately after doing the degree, but I do know that dual degree students have opportunities at top American law firms here in Paris that would not have hired them in the States. The salary is not as high as the same positions in the States. I didn't land those jobs anyways, so it's a non-issue for me (though maybe not for you).

Over the summer after my 1L year, I took BA and Crim Pro while I was working. It was a very busy summer but I am really glad I did because it opened up my 2L year. I also took evidence with rice (who is really hard, but one of the best profs I've ever had, so if you want to really learn it, take it with rice, though you basically work your ass off praying to at least get a B, if you stay on top of it, it's not impossible to get an A.)

I'm very glad I did took classes over the summer. If you calculate it out, you end up saving about $5000 by taking classes both summers and then paying part-time tuition over your 3rd year (dean jaffe explained it to me pretty well, the registrar can help you figure it out too). This maximizes your money as well because paying full-time tuition while going to Nanterre is basically highway robbery because the classes are not nearly as valuable here as they are at WCL. Taking 3 summer classes over 2 summers worked out really well for me in both planning my academic curriculm for my 2L year, getting the most value out of my tuition costs, and saving money to boot.

The payment method-part-time scheme I'm talking about works if you are going to Nanterre or stay in DC. So if you aren't sure about Nanterre yet, I would seriously consider doing it anyways. If you decide not to go to Nanterre, you can get some really great work experience in DC during your 3rd year that might lead to a job. DC is full of amazing opportunities that are much easier to get during the school year because you aren't competing with students from all over the country for internships.

So! My main advice at the moment is to see how you do in fall recruitment and see if you can land a big summer associateship for your 2L summer. If you can, I would rethink doing the dual degree UNLESS you are interested in living in France. If you can't get a summer associate position and want to make money while doing intl law, I would lean more towards coming to Nanterre.