在法國留學是一種怎麼樣的體驗？

懶了，把自己在Quora上的回答搬過來，坐等各路神仙來拍磚...

It"s a pretty big question, and the answer depends enormously on the circumstances. Instead of answering directly to your question, I"ll name some key factors that come up in my mind which affect greatly your experience.

Your French. From what I lived, this is a ABSOLUTE prerequisite for your life to be truly French here. Yes, you do survive without speaking French (if you are in Paris of course; otherwise, not sure...), or with a limited level of French. If France and French culture is anther world as opposed to the English-speaking one, then your French is the KEY to the door of that world. I think we all know that...

The community. When I was in Paris, I was lucky enough to attend a very French school where the majority are French. That has immediately two favorable results. One, I was surrounded by a very French community and therefore somewhat immersed in a pretty pure French ambiance, where you speak rarely English other than some *popular words. Two, you can quickly become interesting for them, as most of them are pretty curious about foreigners and know far less that you do. So, in order to have a great experience that is different from what you get as a tourist, you need to immerse yourself in a French community, and really make some close friends.

Your origin. I also believe "Who you are and where you come from" are also two factors that differentiate the experience of people. Being an American, or a Chinese, a Japanese, an Albanian create different experiences, though I could only experience one of them. But clearly, different people have diverse geographical imagination for France, and French people have different stereotypes (neutral) for different people too. So that really depends.

A short summary, as Hemingway put it:

If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.