I will go over the first steps for a smoother transition to Dauphine and how to get your “lodgement” figured out in a much easier and faster way than I did!
Once you arrive you will have to go straight to:
CROUS de Paris -Service Accueil International (2ème étage) – 39, avenue Georges Bernanos 75005 Paris RER. Port Royal.
Here, you will hand in the form called “acte caution”. This form was emailed to you by someone from CROUS or Dauphine. Make sure you have it and all the supporting documents to go with it. This is a crucial one.
a) There will be representatives of a bank at school called LCL (Le Crédit Lyonnais). It seems to me to be a good bank in Paris, since you can find ATMS all over the city and they offer FANTASTIC deals for students. You will need a small photo and your Carte d’Identité, Passport, Justificatif de domicile (proof of residence), carte d’étudiant or something that proves that you are registered at Dauphine. You can ask "Coralie" to give you a letter saying that you are waiting for your carte d’étudiant but that you are registered.
b) They will tell you what you have to do and then a week later you will get your “carte bleue” which is the debit card you want because you can do online shopping with it! I have not got mine yet so I'm still waiting.
a) On “le metro” by Dauphine, go to the Information booth and ask them for “le formulaire pour la carte Imagine R." They will give your this big form which your have to read attentively, fill out, attach the documents they ask for and then mail it all to them. There is a post office by Dauphine. After 21 days, you should receive your card in the mail.
Note: You need to get the R.I.B from your bank before doing this. Therefore, your bank account needs to be activated. You don’t need to have la carte bleue yet, but you need to get the R.I.B from the bank for the “prélèvements”.
a) iPhones in Paris are not cheaper than Canada. I came here with that idea in mind and they are not! There are several alternatives for phone companies. Erasmus will recommend one specific company, but that should be only temporary because it's super expensive compared to the other phone companies in France.
After four weeks, I've finally figured out my phone. I purchased an Android for €165 euros with "b-and-you.fr" It's a french company and I have unlimited calls to any french phone, unlimited calls to Canada and US (either land-line or mobile) and unlimited calls to 40 other countries listed. I also have unlimited SMS/MMS and the most amazing thing: 3 GB, (yes 3,000MB!) all for 19.90€ . No contract, no hidden fees.! Isn't it amazing?
It was totally worth waiting for. The company is under bouygues, but note that's an online company. There is no physical store, that's why it's a lot cheaper. It's fantastic and the majority of people here used this company B&YOU.
So, go to b-and-you.fr as soon as you receive your French debit card and sign up for an incredible deal. (I just totally sounded like a telemarketer)
Well, that's it for now! Hugs from Paris!