The Nice Student House opened its doors on Thursday, September 10 on the occasion of the “Before Your Back-to-School” event. Practical procedures, prevention workshops and a friendly integration evening: relive the evening with students who came to find their bearings in their new life on the Côte d’Azur.
The city of Nice organized “the Before Your Back-to-School” at the Student House this Thursday, September 10. Aimed at students who came to settle to pursue their studies in Nice, more than twenty partners mobilized. At 5 François-Mitterrand Avenue, more than fifty students had come in successive waves to the black and white tiled forecourt to facilitate their settlement in the city.
Course bag in hand, coming alone, with friends or accompanied by their parents, the Nice students braved the grey sky and rain to meet the exhibitors. The municipality and the event partners, such as the Crous, the CAF or the CPAM, displayed a clear objective. Through direct exchanges, distribution of information documents and giveaways in the colors of their organization, they guided the Nice students with big smiles for two hours.
Concrete answers designed for students
On the forecourt, several aisles offered various spaces dedicated to student support. An entire line was devoted to student housing, as well as a section for their health or safety, with the “Ask Angela” scheme.
At the Health Insurance hub, two stands were present. The first helped students find health insurance and the second offered a “Prev’Pong”. Magalie Lattelais was running, for her fourth year, this diverted beer-pong with questions to raise awareness on health issues. The aforementioned manager of the Prevention Health Service Workshop teaches young people what they didn’t know and provides useful reminders on various topics such as papillomavirus.
A few steps further on, the University Health Center presented its offer of free care for students at Université Côte d’Azur. Elina Inkel, psychologist at the facility, emphasized the importance for young people to be aware of this right. “We present this care offer to them precisely because, often, they are not aware of it. It allows them to know that they have access to free health offers,” the psychologist recalls.
The staff covering the event was keen to welcome the gathering of these local actors. Nadine* believes that “for back-to-school periods, it’s really great to see all these partners […] that way, students can have access to a diversity of structures to learn about their life in and outside the campuses!“
When students find their bearings
This practical information met the needs of many students. Beyond that, some students, accompanied by their parents, toured all the stands, without exception, to be informed and have all the landmarks necessary for student life in Nice. Two first-year students came for one stand in particular. Alizée and Maïca, registered for a psychology degree at the Carlone campus, discovered this event through Instagram. Alizée came to the Student House to find out about the housing offers and available aid to leave their nine square meters.
She was thus able to discover a stand that gave her the desire to volunteer and to solidify her university path. Her friend highlights with joy the relevance of the event: “Honestly, this kind of event is really useful. There’s a lot of information, everything you need and that you don’t necessarily have when you’ve just arrived in a new city!”
It was then around 7:30 pm that a buffet of Nice specialties was set on the tables by the Stockfish, in the middle of the stands. The people running the stands didn’t miss the opportunity. This moment allowed students to bond with each other and talk about everything they had learned.
This more informal break continued in the premises of the Stockfish, located within the Nice Student House. The large performance hall freely hosted the remaining students for a one-hour stand-up comedy show offered by the Bobar Comedy Club. The comedians Marvin Mathieu, Karim, Amine Doogy and Julie Sansonetti allowed shy students to bond with others through several bursts of laughter.
The “Before Your Back-to-School” thus kept its promise: to help newcomers find useful and informal landmarks in student life in Nice in a friendly atmosphere.
*Name anonymized
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