4 Before Arrival

Immigration Documents & Pre-Departure Items to Gather

Passport

A passport is needed to travel to France and to obtain your student visa.  Apply immediately for a passport if you do not already have one.  Passport information and application forms can be found on the U.S. State Department website (http://travel.state.gov/passport).   If you already have your passport, make sure it will be valid for at least six (6) months beyond the length of your stay abroad.

Visa

You will receive detailed instructions about applying for your visa from your Study Abroad Advisor.

Visa Registration in France

You will need to obtain a VLS-TS student visa. You must validate your visa within 3 months of arriving in France at the very latest. The process is completed entirely online. The APA office will help you with this process.

Inoculations

We recommend that you consult with your health care professionals about any recommended inoculations before departure. Ask your doctor if you need any shots to travel to countries outside of France (North Africa, for example). Be sure to bring with you all official records of your inoculations.

Pre-Departure Academic Preparations

Required Pre-Departure Conferences with Your Advisor

• Indiana students: You must complete the advising process with Education Abroad as outlined in the e-form included in your pre-departure checklist. You are ultimately responsible for meeting your degree requirements.
• Wisconsin students: You must confer with your major advisor regarding your major requirements prior to your departure for Aix and fill out an IAP Advising Worksheet which needs your major advisor’s signature. See your MyStudyAbroad account for details.  If you have not declared your major, discuss this with the Faculty Director in Aix as soon as possible, before you begin selecting courses at the French institutions

Language

It is important for you to keep up with the French language prior to your departure for Aix.  You should review your favorite reference grammar book, which you might find useful to bring to Aix with you.  The Academic Program in Aix has several copies of different grammar books, such as L.-F. Hoffmann’s L’Essentiel de la Grammaire Française.  The program also has French dictionaries as well as an excellent encyclopedia. However, you will probably want to buy the Petit Robert or the Petit Larousse for daily use after you have arrived in France.  In addition, you should become familiar with a good bilingual dictionary and bring it with you as well. Most students find either of the following two dictionaries very useful: The Collins Robert French Dictionary and Harrap’s French-English-French Dictionary. A French-French dictionary is highly recommended as it helps to build your vocabulary faster when you look up words. Many students have found it useful to download a dictionary app onto their mobile phones; one good one is by Larousse. Word Reference is also good and is free.

Reading and Films

We strongly advise that you read as much French literature as possible before going to France. You might, for instance, enjoy reading works associated with Aix-en-Provence in particular or Provence in general. A number of famous French authors were born or resided in Provence (including, among others,  Jean Giono, René Char, Germain Nouveau, Jean de La Ceppède, Mme de Sévigné, Marcel Pagnol).  Emile Zola’s L’Oeuvre might be particularly interesting as it is a fictional account of Zola’s friendship with Paul Cezanne, which began when they were schoolmates in Aix. Jean-Claude Izzo’s Total Khéops is a mystery novel which evokes a lot of geographically specific places in Marseille.

Read magazines such as Le Nouvel Observateur, L’Express, Le Point, etc. before you leave for France. In addition, read newspapers such as Le Monde, Le Figaro, and Libération. These newspapers are available on the web. They will help you familiarize yourself with current issues in France. For more local news in the region of Aix, you can also look at the website of the newspaper La Provence www.laprovence.com .

We strongly recommend that the students also watch as many French films (in French with French or English subtitles) before heading to France. We especially recommend four films set in Provence and based on the works of Marcel Pagnol: Le Château de ma mère, La Gloire de mon père, Jean de Florette and Manon de Sources. A more recent film, Cezanne et Moi, gives a good introduction to the friendship between Cezanne and Zola. Shéhérazade is another recent film about young people in Marseille.

For a better grasp of French society and Provence, read some of the following books:

• Carroll, Raymonde. Evidences Invisibles: Américains et Français au quotidien.
  • Differences between American and French cultures. Chapters include studies of “L’amitié,” “Le téléphone,” “Se renseigner,” “Le couple,” and body language.
  • English version: Cultural Misunderstandings.
• Barlow, J. and J.-B. Nadeau, Sixty Million Frenchmen Can’t Be Wrong. Version française: Pas si fous ces Français!
• Mayle, Peter. A Year in Provence
• De Larabetti, Michael. Tales from Provence
• Fisher, M.F.K. Two Cities in Provence
• Guide Michelin (vert), Provence (Get the French version to help you build vocabulary).
• Clarke, Stephen. Talk to the Snail
  • Humorous accounts of surviving and thriving in French culture