Although there are no official statistics, if you ask ROC students who have studied in France, most will agree that they followed a "two-Step" spproach.

After arrival, students study French for a year in a province outside Paris. The purpose is to save expenses and to study the language with more concentration, away from the distractions of the capital. At the same time, the people in the provinces are simple and down to earth, unlike the cold and sophisticated Parisians, who often give newcomers a feeling of frustration.

After getting a handle on the language, the next step is to transfer to the capital and begin formal studies. The key here, of course, is selecting the right school, department, teachers, and courses. But the three-stage educational system and the department credit system are very different from Taiwan's, so some people never find just what they had originally set out to study.

Is there any trick to avoiding the trial-and-error method and making the correct choices right off the bat?

"Before you leave, being clear about what you want to study and how much time you have to do it in are naturally the most important points," says Kao Ling-feng, an ROC Ministry of Education official in France who advises overseas students at the Far East Studies Association. Asking around by word of mouth after you get there can also help you avoid making unnecessary mistakes. "As long as you widen your perspectives a bit instead of being hung up on finding the same fields of study in universities on Taiwan, you'll be sure to find a suitable department," she says.

After you've picked your courses, the most pressing concern next is the necessities of life.

If someone asks what the biggest headache is to studying in Paris, nine chances out of ten the answer will be "housing."

All you have to do is drop in and take a look at the rooms in the Service Center for Taiwan Students in France, where ten or twenty students are crowded into a space of 720 square feet. And the rent for an attic is 1,500 francs (about US$250) a month.

Of course, better housing opportunities are not nonexistent. One of these is the Cite internationale universitaire de Paris, located in the 13th arrondissement, on the south side of the city.

This 'university city' consists of 47 buildings spread over 40 hectares with beds for 5,5000 students. It belongs to the University of Paris in name, and some people call it Paris University's only campus. It has grassy lawns, an athletic field, a library, a theater, cafeterias . . . and the rent is just 800 to 1,200 francs a month, making it a foreign student's dream residence. Unfortunately, priority is given to government-supported students, and applicants must often wait one or two years for a chance to get in.

Except for housing, other aspects of life in France can be quite agreeable.

While a full-course dinner at a fine restaurant along the Champs Elysees may be out of the question for most students, there are fifteen university cafeterias scattered about the city where a holder of a student ID card can get a decent meal for about 10 francs, which is definitely the most economical way to go.

Transportation--except for the winter "strike" season--is quick and convenient, as long as you don't drive. The Metro is famous for its size, speed, cleanliness, and low fares. You may also want to use some of your spare time by walking around with a map and familiarizing yourself with the streets.

As for leisure life, that's tops. The galleries, art museums, music, theater, and film are all first rate.

One drawback for students is the price of books: a skimpy little textbook may cost 100 francs. Even though the universities charge no tuition and just 600 or 700 francs for miscellaneous expenses, with twenty books or so listed for one course, studying is still expensive.

In all, living expenses for studying in France are about 3,000 francs a month, or NT$200,000 a year. In France, as in Britain, the opportunities for part-time work are scarce, and while scholarships are available, it's better to bring along enough money first.

Now that more and more Taiwan students are going to Europe, artistic, romantic France is naturally a place with great appeal, but Li Pingtzu, director of the Alliance Francaise de Taipei at National Taiwan Normal University, shakes her head thinking of how people often "plan to go in September but don't start studying French until March." The French like to think of their language as a "world language," and you won't get by using English. The result of last-minute cramming is often frustration, a sense of inferiority, and a hasty retreat back home.

"France is an extremely complex country. If you give yourself a little time to savor it slowly, you'll fall in love with it," concludes Genevieve Li, a lecturer in the French department at Fu Jen University. Those with a mind to give it a try should start preparing early!

[Picture Caption]

The Eiffel Tower, symbol of Paris.

The glass pyramids in front of the Louvre, designed by Chinese architect I. M. Pei, were the focus of national attention.

The ROC government organization in Paris holds a seminar and welcoming party for newly arrived overseas Chinese students.

Although somewhat crowded, the student center of the KMT Overseas Affairs Department is often the first warm home for overseas Chinese studente after their arrival in France.

With its vast collection, the Louvre is invariably packed with visitore on weekends and holidays.

More than 5,000 overseas studente from a hundred-some nations live toget her in the Cite universitaire, which embodies the spirit of a "global village."

The ROC government organization in Paris holds a seminar and welcoming party for newly arrived overseas Chinese students.

Although somewhat crowded, the student center of the KMT Overseas Affairs Department is often the first warm home for overseas Chinese studente after their arrival in France.

With its vast collection, the Louvre is invariably packed with visitore on weekends and holidays.

More than 5,000 overseas studente from a hundred-some nations live toget her in the Cite universitaire, which embodies the spirit of a "global village.".