Just a few questions-- help appreciated

Applying to College
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<p>I am (as long as the financial aid comes through) studying abroad in France next July, 2008. I have never been abroad before period, so I'm completely new to all this. I haven't been to the informational meeting for the program yet (it's through my school) so maybe some of these will be answered there, but I thought I'd go ahead and ask them anyway.
My questions:
When would you recommend applying for a passport if I have to have it by April 15?
How much clothing should I bring? I'm a notorious overpacker, but I really don't want to have to check more than one bag (in case it gets lost/stolen). The program is for a month, and I'm almost positive there will be laundry facilities in the student residence we'll be staying in. Also, I have no idea what the weather is like in France in summer, so I don't want to pack a bunch of shorts and tank tops (my usual summer attire in Alabama) and it end up being like 65 degrees everyday or something.
On a similar note, what kind of shoes should I take? I've heard sneakers scream AMERICAN but I don't have any other shoes besides sneakers, flip flops (and a couple dressy heels), and after a really bad experience in NYC with flip flops, I know not to wear those in cities now. Do I need to get some new shoes?
How am I supposed to take shampoo, soap, toothpaste, etc for a month if you can only take those travel sized bottles on airplanes? I guess I would just buy it in France, but I heard stuff like that was really expensive over there. Can I just put normal sized containers in checked bags, or something?</p>

<p>Sorry if this is a bunch of ramble, but I'm really kind of ignorant about stuff like this, so I'd appreciate any help yall can give. thanks!</p>

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<p>Apply for your passport ASAP, it can take a long time. Will you also need a visa?
I always pack lightly. In terms of clothing for France in the summer, I'd probably take something along the lines of two pairs of shorts, one long pair of pants, two skirts (one semi-dressy) a few light weight shirts, one nice dressy shirt, one lightweight sweater (though you likely won't even need it) and a lot of underwear. Two pairs of shoes (one that are easy to walk in, one nicer pair) should be plenty, though I have a great all purpose pair of croc sandals ( <a href="http://www.sundrybuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/croccapri.jpg%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.sundrybuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/croccapri.jpg&lt;/a> ) and that's all I take with me on warm weather trips. Not the most attractive shoes ever, but they're nice to walk in an extremely comfortable. I wear them in cities, but if you still don't like the idea, you can find a nice more dressy, less "American" looking sneaker type shoe. Perhaps if that is a big concern, you can browse through European shoe company websites.</p>

<p>Remember in France it will be easy to buy anything you need, and you'll probably bring things back with you, so packing light is a good idea. Also, you might want to bring a smaller bag inside, that will fit just a few outfits and things, for short weekend trips.</p>

<p>Where in France are you going? It is a big country, so nobody can help you ot on the weather thing without more info (I assume most of France in the summer will be tanktop worthy, but if you're the type who thinks 65 is chilly, bringing a few lightweight overshirts and perhaps a long sleeve tee shirt is not a bad idea). You can look up weather information for your specific city or region online.</p>

<p>If you check your baggage, you can put toiletries in your checked baggage, but bringing all of them shouldn't be necessary, it will be easy to pick those up anywhere. You can take large bottles, though. I usually just buy toiletries in whatever place I'm traveling to, and then leave them there for whomever else afterwards; they're so inexpensive. Toiletries won't be that expensive (though you can find $300 shampoo, I'm sure, and everything is a bit more expensive than it is here, because of the strength of the euro). But to answer your question, yes, you can put normal sized containers in checked bags, no problem (don't forget sunscreen!)</p>

<p>Also, go to a farmer's market and check out the cheeses. :)</p>

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<p>Oh, sorry, I'm going to Paris. I think I will need a visa, and that is why I have to have my passport by April 15 even though we don't leave til June 29. </p>

<p>Do you think I would be okay wearing t-shirts and jeans or is that too informal? I'm sorry to sound ignorant, but I've heard things that I'm not sure are true, like French people don't dress down very much, and t-shirts/sneakers/jeans combo makes you stand out as a tourist (and therefore makes you a mugging/pickpocket target). Can you quell my fears?</p>

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<p>D was just in Paris for a summer session, and yes, women in Paris (who are not tourists) tend to dress up a little - that means no shorts, tanks, flip-flops, sneakers - oh, and the color this past summer was black - remember, Paris is the fashion capital, so they're very conscious of their attire at all times. D broughta few pairs of jeans, but they were dark-colored, and she also brought a couple of black ones as well. She found herself wearing mostly skirts and dresses with some layered tops - with a little short-sleeve sweater to match the ensemble. Tasteful attire is definitely looked upon favorably in Paris. She didn't wear sneakers, but had cute sandals or ballet flats along with another dressy pair of shoes. The weather was very nice - not too hot - they didn't have air conditioning in the hostel where she was living, but it didn't matter, because it wasn't needed. There have been heat waves in the past, but it's usually not the norm.<br>
I agree with regard to applying for the passport and the visa asap.</p>

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<p>Yes, you can wear tee shirts and jeans (most Parisian teens will as well). I'd wear a nice pair of jeans and quality tees, though (ie not the white Hanes that come in three packs). Whatever you do, you'll certainly stand out as an American (they always seem to be able to tell...;-)) but nobody will think you're disrespectful for walking around in jeans and tee shirts - this isn't Saudi Arabia!</p>

<p>Maybe you can look at Gap or J-Crew or something? It would probably be good to carry a few versatile, simple, clean shirts.</p>

<p>You should probably find out if you need a visa!</p>

<p>Be sensible to avoid mugging/pickpocketing - don't wear expensive looking jewelry (or any jewelry, really), have a zipped purse - if needed, you can carry a "phantom wallet" with you, that has expired cards and just a few bucks, but that may be excessive. The majority of sensible tourists to Paris will not be crime victims, and locals will tell you where to avoid at night/when you're alone. Tourists may often be victims because they look a bit "lost" and are often bogged down with a ton of items (camera, maps, extra luggage, etc.) Just stick with one purse, and try to look over a map before going anywhere, so that you don't have to take one out and look it over in the middle of the street.</p>

<p>Really though, don't worry. You'll be one of many, many tourists...most of whom will love their experience and return home with no real problems.</p>

<p>Edit: I agree that tasteful attire is looked upon well, but just look clean and well put together, and they won't look down on you. I thought French teens just looked like slightly more fashionable versions of my friends.</p>

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<p>D was quite impressed with the quality of the way the women in Paris were attired - that includes college-age students - even compared to a major U.S. city, they were quite fashionable.</p>

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<p>about the visa thing, the information meeting for my program is next week so I'm assuming they will tell us all about visas and such at the meeting. My french teacher seemed to think that since we were only staying a month we might not need visas, but he wasn't sure. If they don't mention it, I will be sure to ask about it then anyway. I think I am probably going to apply for my passport during thanksgiving break since that might be the only time I can actually get to the circuit clerk's office to do it. </p>

<p>thanks for the info on the fashion/clothing stuff. Guess this gives me an excuse to go shopping next spring! I hardly ever wear skirts (I only own 3), and I basically live in flip flops, or sneakers if it's cold. </p>

<p>PS Unregistered, yes I am the type that thinks 65 is chilly, I am from Alabama! lol. Anything 65 and below is cold for us! It was unbelievably cold today (did not get out of the 50's), at least, considering that the highs were still around 80 about a week ago.</p>

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<p>Oh, another question: this is sort of off-the-wall, but I was wondering. I'm rather tall for a girl (5'9.5) and a bit larger (size 10-12), and I was wondering if that would make me stand out in Paris. I just have this vision of French women as teeny tiny people (height and width wise) so I thought I'd ask. I kind of stand out anyway on my campus, because a great majority of girls here aren't taller than 5'5" (my best friend here is 5'3"), so I was just wondering if it would be the same there. Sorry for such a random question, it's just that my height makes me a little self-conscious sometimes (more than my size) because people are always like "holy crap you're a giant!" here too.</p>

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<p>It looks like you will need a visa:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.consulfrance-newyork.org/article.php3?id_article=370%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.consulfrance-newyork.org/article.php3?id_article=370&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>D studied in Paris last summer for 6 weeks and did not, in fact, need to acquire a visa.</p>