So, you think you got what it takes to be an international student? Let me walk you through the hoops I had to jump through to get where I am (and I'm not even finished with the process yet!).
*Upon reviewing this post, if you're feeling extra bored today you should count how many times "paperwork" is said here (including that one I just typed). I'm actually curious to know, but I don't have the patience to do it myself.
First: Apply to the program that you'll be traveling through (mine was the Education Abroad Program through the UC campus system). This consists of:
- Statement of Purpose: An essay of around 500 words
- Passport-sized photo of your pretty little mug
- Online application consisting of a bunch of housekeeping (contact information, intended program, all of that fun stuff)
- Financial estimation paperwork
- Academic Planning Form (to get a basic idea of what classes you'd want to take while abroad)
- Copy of your passport
Once you've gotten all of this taken care of, congratulations! You're way more persistent than you really need to be! On to step two: waiting a long-ass time for your "interview". Now the interview sounds intimidating, which is why I was fully prepared to speak in French during the entirety of this interview. They also said to bring some information about the host-university you'll be attending, or of the city it's located in. I was much too prepared for this, because we (yes, it was a group interview which makes it much easier) only spoke in French (each) for about a minute, talking about ourselves. I learned introductions in high school, where was the challenge? After you've attended your interview, You wait for an even longer period of time for the best part: passports, visas, and all that other paperwork that's reducing rain forests in the Amazon.
In order to spend a year in France, you need a visa. This allows you to spend more than 90 days in a country that you do not have citizenship to. You can either get a short-stay or long-stay visa, which I have to get the latter (the short-stay is only valid for 3 months). But to get the visa, you need a passport, so you might want to do that first. Passports are kind of expensive; mine cost around $160.
The visa costs €50, so the cost fluctuates, but right now that's about $63. With me I must bring to my appointment the following:
1. Proof of Payment and Confirmation Emails for CampusFrance: This is the system in which I will be enrolled into the French academic system. I fill out the application online, and then send in $70 to them, along with a printout of the CampusFrance page with my ID number on it, and a photocopy of my UCEAP Participation letter. In short, there's paperwork for my paperwork.
2. Passport, along with photocopies of the ID pages of it.
3. Long-Stay Visa Application Form: Found with my pre-departure checklist, which asks for basic information.
4. 2 Passport-sized photos: Because they apparently plan on losing one of them.
5. Proof of Residence in Consulate's Jurisdiction: Sounds intimidating, but I just have to show that I go to school near the consulate. Proof, my student ID. I need my "that was easy" button.
6. UCEAP Participation Letter: I picked mine up from the office on campus, which in short states that you're participating in the program.
7. Proof of Departure to France: aka, a plane ticket. Also, my checklist says I can write a legible statement indicating my intended date of departure. So basically, I can just write the day I want to leave for Lyon. That sounds kind of half-assed... I mean, don't they just want me to do more paperwork rather than me scribbling a date on a scrap of paper? I just love me some paperwork to fill out.
8. Proof of Financial Support: Since I'm a poor financial aid kid, I need to go to the Financial Aid Office on campus and request a letter stating what I'm going to be getting for this next year.
9. OFII Form (residence form): basically, I have to fill this out to state that I'll be spending more than 6 months in France.
10. Processing Fee: which was the aforementioned €50. I love spending money, especially when it doesn't buy me exciting things like clothes or books.
11. Two Forms of Photo ID: besides the passport, I have to bring my driver's license and student ID (which, by the way, is really difficult to forget to bring anywhere).
12. Photocopies: Passport pages along with proof of financial support documents.
13. Self-Addressed Express Envelope: I bring this with me because the French Consulate is too cheap to pay for their own postage. I pay them €50, they could at least help out a poor college student with some postage.
And those are the only things you need for the visa! This whole process is so simple, I love how there's so much paperwork to simplify and speed up this process.
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| Dwight loves paper. |
And even when I get to Lyon, there will be more glorious paperwork for me to do! And more money to spend on things I don't even want! I AM A GIANT SQUID OF ANGER AHHHHHHHHAKLSDJFAA;LKSJDFA;KFJEMCLKEED
I suppose that I'll be filling out paperwork for the rest of my life, but there's just too much in such a small amount of time. With all of this paperwork, I could keep a fire going for hours to keep some poor Russian children warm. But if had the choice to never have to do any paperwork again, yet had to live in Russia for the rest of my life, I'd sure as hell do it. And I'll be honest: everything that is Russia scares the common sense out of me. I'll have to stock up on that Bear Mace I'd seen at the camping/outing store back home. Probably couldn't take it on the plane though... does that mean I'll have to hitch a ride on some rusty fishing boat? Or what if I do that, and end up on an island with a giant gorilla...
LONG TANGENT. Anyways, what I mean to say is that if you want to go and do great things in life, you've gotta have the drive to go through with it. And at this rate, my drive is taking a plunge for the worst. But I've got this; the good news is that I always finish what I started. Mainly because I'm OCD like that, but I get the job done. Happy Memorial Day, and hope you all had a wonderful 3-day weekend!
À bientôt!
xoxo
