CIEE High School Study Abroad in France

I really had such an amazing experience with CIEE!! They offer many amazing cultural activities and weekend excursions that can really show you the culture and life in Toulouse. My French improved drastically with this course, as I stayed with a really kind and sweet homestay. I know many people whose homestays were not so good and CIEE moved them out quickly. I know there were probably some complaints with a few staff members, however I personally really liked my teacher and PL and had no issues. CIEE cares about all the students' safety and I felt very safe and secure at all times. I had a good amount of free time for lunch and occasionally after school. We did have curfews at 8 pm on weekdays and 11 pm on weekends, but with some people having really long commutes to the CIEE center from their homestays, they weren't able to go out much after school in their limited time. I personally joined this program alone, however I think this experience would be elevated had I came with even just one friend. I did spend a lot of money on shopping for this program, and I don't think that's talked about that much. I think that it's imperative to bring a lot of money (A LOT) for the actual program.

Very nice. I think that I spent a lot of time looking around and there was a lot of ability to roam around. There isn’t too much class and class is pretty easy so most of the time you can do whatever you want. There was a lot of outings for the ciee so you could meet people from your area pretty easily in the beginning.
I met a good amount of friends and was able to experience culture for a good amount of time. The hotel was also pretty close to food and supermarkets that were open till very late. Usually restaurants are closed very early but we lived around some that would be open till two in the morning.

This is an interesting experience, it was really fun. We got to see so much and learn a great amount. It couldn’t have been any better. The beaches are extremely nice and their traditions are really interesting. The town is small which makes it easier to move around, you really can’t get lost here. Over all everything was great the education, housing ,support ,and the food! I will definitely miss that!! The host families do definitely make you feel like you are part of theirs. You get to make new friends and meet all kinds of people. You also get to make a second family who will support you and understand you and if you have any problems, they will try to help you. Everything about this is great if you have the option, take it not many can!

My time abroad in Toulouse was the most life-changing experience. This program allowed me to grow as a person and also helped me better my French language comprehending and communication skills. Besides that, I was able to fully immerse myself in the French culture that I don't get to experience just from a classroom. CIEE does a great job planning activities that help the exchange students immerse themselves in the culture through the "Into the Community", activity is done to help students communicate and ask questions to locals. Although I got a wrong host family placement information until the day before my flight, I am very thankful that I was placed with an amazing family. They were kind and welcoming. They showed me a couple of French medieval cities, which is a great opportunity for me to even learn more about France.

Making the decision to do a year abroad in France has turned out to be one of the best decisions I've ever made. Through this experience, I am not just learning about a culture and its language, I am learning about myself and my abilities to accept and adapt. It has been nothing short of amazing to live these last 5 months in France and I would recommend this program to anyone looking to spend a year abroad.

My experience in France made a huge impact on my life. I see the world with a new perspective. Studying abroad has enlarged my world view; it exposed me to the infinite amount of culture and language that is in the world. I lived with an amazing host family who I consider my second family. I encountered challenges as well as fun moments, and those experiences helped me learn and made me a stronger person. My year abroad in France is something I will never forget nor regret.

What more could I say about studying abroad other than, it was the best year of my life without a doubt. When abroad you are faced with so much change, in your environment, language, friends, family, and also in yourself. I left home for France in September of 2015 and I had no idea that my whole life would change. I stepped so far out of my confort zone, and for doing that I was rewarded with the pleasure of meeting new people, whom I would have never known otherwise. The pleasure of trying new foods, which I never would have savored. The pleasure of seeing new places everyday, where I never would have ventured to. In June of 2016 I returned home from home, in those ten months France had become, and will always remain, my home. I am glad I stepped out into the world and I would do it a thousand times over, the question is, what is keeping you from stepping out? Allons-y!

I had an amazing visit to Toulouse with CIEE. The trip was extremely affordable after the generous scholarship I was given. I had so much fun on almost every excursion and all the adults associated with the program, I.E. Program leaders, teacher, in country leader, etc. Were all always available when needed and extremely helpful when asked a question. My only complaint was my host family stay was not very enjoyable but that was not CIEE's fault because my host mother was a great mom on paper and a good technical mom she just was not very good at connecting with my roommate and I or just being the most friendly person. But because of that it made the classes and free time AMD excursions so much better even though they were already so much fun. 10/10 would recommend to anyone whether they are looking for a traveling experience or not. Definitely worth it.