2011 - 2012 Handbook for the international student Suplec Handbook for the international student Ecole Suprieure dElectricit Gif campus : 3 rue Joliot-Curie 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette France Tel: 33. 1. 69.85.12.12 www.supelec.fr internationalsupelec. fr 2 Suplec International Affairs Welcome Dear International Students, This practical student handbook is designed to help familiarize yourselves with Suplec. Keep it with you for reference. You will find important information and tips ranging from Academic Affairs to Savoir Vivre. It complements the information the Admissions team will have sent you. Some of you may not find the information they are looking for in this guide. If so, ask our different Suplec offices. During your stay with us, you will have the opportunity to live a unique experience from the inside of a top-tier French Grande Ecole whose tradition, since established in 1894, has been to transmit knowledge and academic excellence while providing personal development. Whatever the program you choose at the undergraduate or postgraduate level you will most certainly find a course that interests you and supports your career aspirations. Two of the greatest resources of our school are the Faculty, who is highly involved in research as well as the students, some of whom you may befriend for life. Also, take advantage of the great opportunity to live and study close to Paris where you will enjoy a rich and entertaining cultural life. Suplec Management and staff look forward to welcoming you during the academic year 2011/2012. Once again, bienvenue, and I wish you every success and happiness in your studies at Suplec. Pr. Claude Lhermitte Director of Suplec International Affairs Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this handbook. Suplec reserves the right to make changes to the information given. Applicants will receive additional, current information during the admission process and on joining our school. 3 Suplec International Affairs Table of contents Arrival at Suplec 4 Getting settled 8 Academic Affairs 12 Facilities for students 15 Student Affairs 17 Students Associations it is worthwhile applying the earlier, the better as it may take up to 4 months for the process to be completed. No retroactive effect is possible. Beware: non European students have to show proof of Titre de sjour to benefit from APL. Check out www.CAF.fr for more details. 9 Suplec International Affairs EXPENSES you will have to do it later in the week by calling the toll-free number 1014 and giving the number above your room door. France Tlcom offers special Pastel cards that allow you to use any phone (payphone or private) and get billed directly to your bank account. For international phone-calls, you can get phone cards at all Tabacs. A few students have tried buying cheap phone cards from www.budgetelecom.com.You must dial 68 immediately after you dial your personal access code in order to use the phone card. You may also buy phone cards at any French post offices: they cost between 10 and 15; rates are not expensive. If you want to use a payphone in Suplec, you can either use the payphone in front of the post office, or in Rsidence 1, in the main hall. If you stay in France long enough, you will probably need a cell phone. There are several companies available such as Orange, SFR and Bouygues Telecom. Visit the phone stores in Versailles, Vlizy, and Paris to get an idea. Before buying a phone, inquire about available contracts (be careful: many of them are 1-year or 2-year contracts). All of them have one thing in common: you “buy” minutes and text messages (SMS or texto) Three types of contracts are proposed: 1) a prepaid card 2) a fixed amount of minutes and SMS per month and everything additionally spent will be charged 3) a fixed amount of minutes and SMS. Once you have spent it all you cannot use your phone until the next month. In order to get a cell phone, you will need the following documents: - A blank check from your French bank: you will not have to sign it - Some identification - A RIB (Relev dIdentit Bancaire: bank account details) What they say about us “One of the first few things I liked about Suplec was the fact that all the students stayed on campus. Moreover, I stayed in an apartment with other French students. This helped me greatly to blend in better with the normal Students and get involved in the student activities such as Cercle Europe Week, Charity Run and of course, the soirees. Having everyone in a common space for a long period of time helps one to make new friends and that is what being on exchange is all about - exchanging culture! I have come to love the location of the campus. At first, one might feel that it is far from the city of Paris. But the Plateau de Moulon has its own charm - quiet serenity. Coming from a city like Singapore, the land