'I almost faint every time I stand up': In cramped student housing, studying becomes impossible during the heatwave
A student in Paris is struggling to study due to the heatwave in her small studio apartment. The 19-year-old's apartment has a floor-to-ceiling glass door that exposes her to direct sunlight, making the space unlivable. The student's situation is an example of the challenges faced by students in cramped and poorly ventilated housing during extreme weather conditions.
- ▪Mathilde, a 19-year-old student, is living in a 12-square-meter studio in Puteaux, Hauts-de-Seine.
- ▪The student's apartment has a floor-to-ceiling glass door that exposes her to direct sunlight.
- ▪The heatwave has made the apartment unlivable, causing the student to feel sick and struggle to eat.
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Thermometer inside an apartment in Paris, June 22, 2026. WILLIAM KEO FOR « LE MONDE » When Mathilde (those identified by first name requested anonymity) arrived in Paris to pursue a double major in philosophy and sociology at Sorbonne University, she was careful to look for housing in the suburbs, not in the city, hoping to avoid an overpriced, overheated maid's room under the eaves. In September 2025, she moved into a 12-square-meter studio in Puteaux (Hauts-de-Seine). "And yet, I find myself in an unlivable apartment because of the heat," the 19-year-old student said. Her window is a floor-to-ceiling glass door exposed to direct sunlight. Lowering the blinds offered some relief at first, but now, nothing helps. “It’s so hot I feel like throwing up.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Le Monde (EN).
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