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Crous

Shared cooking

Living in Crous has some great benefits, especially if you’re in Building H (the international student building) on Campus 1. Although the basic rooms are small (9 square meters), the kitchens are shared, and this is a huge advantage! When you’ve just arrived in a new place, these kitchens allow you to quickly meet your neighbours!

Kitchen cleanliness

On the other hand, the kitchens tend to be pretty uncleanly, despite the best efforts of the cleaning staff who pass by a few times a week. The small sink drains are quickly clogged by debris, and then no one wants to put their hand in the murky water to fix it. Sometimes people leave trash in the kitchen. It can get rough.

Kitchen supplies to buy

1. A hot plate for your room (I never did this, but I had a friend who told me it saved her.)
2. A box to carry all your cooking supplies to and from the kitchen. It’s better than a bag because you don’t need to worry as much about glass breaking or knifes poking out.

STUDAPART

While Crous is public program of the French government that lists dorms inside dorm buildings, STUDAPART is a private company that lists apartments (that are sometimes in dorm-like buildings). These apartments can sometimes feel a little sterile, with the vibe of Ikea furniture and wall decorations (think about signs like, “Live, Laugh, Love”).

In any event, the University of Caen’s website explains that they have a relationship with this company, and they list this link.

Private apartments

You can search for private apartments on Le Bon Coin, and there are two things to know. Landlords want:

1. a rental-file including many documents about your rental history and financial situation, and
2. a co-signer (especially if you’re living in the downtown district).

Your rental file

You can create a file / dossier for the landlords using a site created by the French government called Dossier Facile (translated as Easy Dossier).