From you to us: how to integrate into your new city?
July 05 2021
Find student accommodation in your new city
Housing is one of the first questions to ask yourself when you move to a new city: location, cost, living alone or with a roommate... Ask yourself the right questions about what seems to be most in line with your aspirations and set your budget in order to best orient your search.
Collect all relevant information from your School
Ask your institution: the teams will give you as many answers as possible and help you in your search. Also ask whether they have a partnership with organisations providing accommodations to students.
In order to anticipate your expenses, it is important to have a clear idea of the cost of rent in your new city and its various districts. When calculating the cost of rent, remember to include all ancillary costs such as home insurance, water, electricity and council tax.
Depending on your budget, you will be able to determine the best location in your city and the type of accommodation you prefer (studio, shared flat, room, student residence, etc.). If you want to live as close as possible to your school or university, you will probably have to make concessions on the size of the accommodation or share it with one or more students.
A guarantor is usually required by the landlord as a guarantee in case of unpaid rent. You can ask a relative or use the Visale guarantee provided by Action logement.
Discover the EM Normandie accommodation service
Join platforms and groups on social networks
You should know that there are many platforms to find all kinds of accommodation ads in your city. Among them, you will find dedicated websites in France such as location-etudiant.fr, lokaviz.fr or immojeune.com, or more general websites such as leboncoin.fr.
At EM Normandie, the accommodation service offers thousands of accommodation offers grouped together on a single platform: Studapart. Access hundreds of exclusive offers in France and abroad: studios, flatshares, rooms in private homes, sublets... and benefit from personalised support throughout your rental!
If you are specifically looking for a flat share, you can register on specific platforms such as appartager.com or on the Facebook groups proposed in your city. Check with your school to see if it offers flatshare search services.
EM Normandie has dedicated Facebook groups for each campus where students can share their good tips: Caen Campus, Le Havre Campus, Paris Campus, Oxford Campus, Dublin Campus.
Calculate your housing benefit
There are different types of financial aid for your housing:
- The Allocation Personnalisée au Logement (APL) is calculated on the basis of the amount of your rent excluding charges and your resources. It is paid to you or directly to the landlord for subsidised accommodation.
- The Allocation à Logement à caractère Social (ALS) is the aid most often paid to students. It can be paid for a room in a hostel or university residence, a studio, a flat or a house. It is paid directly to you or you can choose to pay it to your landlord.
For more information on these two benefits, go to the website of your Caisse d'Allocations Familiales (CAF).
Organise your daily travel
If you are lucky enough to live within walking distance of your campus, you can easily get there by foot, bike or scooter.
If your accommodation is further away from your place of study, you should take public transport, which generally serves city centre campuses quite well and will drop you off almost at the foot of your classroom. In general, this mode of transport is perfectly suitable for all your journeys within the city centre.
We advise you to find out which bus, tram or metro stations are closest to your home and whether there is a bike-sharing scheme. You can also make several trips between your home and your campus before you start school, taking different routes so that you can see what the fastest travel times are.
To get to the shopping centres, you can take your car to make it easier to carry your shopping. You should know that public transport also serves the shopping centres and that a car is not necessarily required to live in a big city.
Network to make connections
Before setting off for your new city, don't hesitate to ask people around you (friends, family, parents' colleagues, etc.) if they know anyone in the city. This way, during your first few days in the city, you can organise a guided tour of the city centre to familiarise yourself with the places to go out, discover the city's good restaurants or find the local shops in your area. This is the time to ask them all your questions about the city and to find out all the good tips to get your new life off to a good start.
Another thing to remember when you move in: meet the other residents! Introducing yourself to your next-door neighbour and chatting with him or her for a few moments is a good way to build relationships. If you feel the connection, ask them to come for a drink at your place, take a tour of the neighbourhood or go out on the town to break the ice, and who knows, maybe start a beautiful friendship.
On your campus, you will have many opportunities to meet new people, people who will shape your life as a student and even as an adult. You will easily form a group of friends within your class according to your affinities and interests. Group work is usually a good way to expand your circle of acquaintances.
Within Business Schools, opportunities and places to meet go far beyond the classroom. It usually starts with the integration days at the beginning of the school year. Then, throughout the year, there are the association projects, professional missions, in-company seminars, entrepreneurial projects... which prepare you for life in a company and teamwork.
At EM Normandie Business School, more than 100 internal community projects are offered on various themes: sustainable development, business, arts, sports... And more than 50 community projects in association with our community partners: UNICEF, SPA, Secours Populaire... You can also build links with your fellow students by working on numerous professional projects: Startupper, consulting, missions and challenges.
Get involved in leisure activities
Whether you are a sportsman, an art or a film lover, you will probably need to invest in leisure activities and take breaks during your studies. What could be more stimulating than a good sports session, an exhibition or a good film with friends to make the most of your student life?
For your sporting activities, don't hesitate to take an inventory of the facilities available in your city: swimming pools, gyms, stadiums, parks, cycle paths, sports clubs, dance clubs, etc. And for your cultural outings, you can find out about cinemas, concerts/shows, theme bars and get an agenda of upcoming events in your city.
With your student card, you can benefit from reduced rates for activities and outings in many institutions.
Find out what services are available on your campus
When you first arrive on campus, you will be able to explore the libraries, computer rooms, cafeterias and dining areas on or near campus.
Some activities may be offered directly on your campus. Do not hesitate to ask your institution for more information.
The EM Normandie campuses offer co-working and co-living areas, a Learning Center, a Gaming Zone dedicated to community life, a student incubator, a FabLab, sports fields and fitness areas, a Social Room, etc. The classrooms, called "Flex Rooms", installed on all campuses are fully equipped with the latest educational technologies.
EM Normandie, a multi-campus Business School
