AIFS Abroad in Cannes, France: Semester

I studied abroad in Cannes in Spring 2013. This experience without a doubt changed my life. It was THE most life changing experience I have had to do, and the simple biggest highlight of my college career.

AIFS has set up one amazing program that guarantees you an incredible time abroad. In my program was about 40 other American students who came from all over the United States. We studied and lived in dorms at the College International de Cannes. There is also an option to live at a home stay, but it is still possible to get an authentic experience without staying with a family.

We took weekend trips, and day trips with AIFS that were included in the cost of the program to places like Paris, the Provence region, St. Tropez, and Monaco! Some weekends I would get together with my friends and we would visit another country for the weekend like Rome, Spain, or Germany. The closest airport is about 40 minutes by train in Nice and not that far.

We had French class 5 days a week, and optional seminar classes once a week. I adored my French teacher, and wanted to take her back to America with me at the end.

My absolute favorite part of the semester was the Cannes Film Festival. During the festival Cannes transformed into a bustling, and vivacious city! My AIFS resident director on campus helped me get an internship with a British film company. I loved every minute of my internship, and got to be an assistant to a celebrity while I was there. My friends and I walked the red carpet, went to premiere parties, and became entranced with all the glamor and excitement.

This experience broadened my cultural and worldly views in ways I didn't think possible. I made amazing friendships that I will cherish forever, and shared memories that I won't forget. If I could repeat my study abroad experience again I would in a heartbeat. Cannes is a magical place, that you won't want to leave!

If I could do another semester in Cannes, I would in a heartbeat.

I chose Cannes in the spring of 2013 because I did not want to be in as big of a city as Paris, but I still wanted that same cultural spark - and trust me, you get plenty of that during the film festival in May.

I studied at the Collège International de Cannes with the rest of the Americans in my AIFS group (there were about 40 of us in all) as well as a bunch of international students from all over the world. My various dorm neighbors were from Mexico, Japan, Iceland, South Africa, and so on. The school has a small campus, so it immediately feels like home. You can choose between a homestay or living at the dorm - I chose the dorm and it's pretty much the standard dorm experience (except that I could see the Mediterranean from my window, a nice touch). The style of the collège is very bright and warm. I liked the food in the cafeteria, but I'm not a picky eater and I know some people were less than fond of it. As long as you try things with an open mind, you should be able to survive. They do serve brunch on the weekends though, which is the greatest.

We had language classes every morning, 5 days a week. Students have the chance to move up in classes, so if you start out at maybe an intermediate French level, you can end up in advanced class by the end of the semester based on your language progression. Classes aren't extremely difficult, as long as you put in some effort and speak up. I was in an advanced class, and we did a little bit of grammar, but mostly we focused on listening exercises and just talking to each other. It was a lot more fun than classes back home, since usually we talked about whatever we liked - like movies, sports, food, and even the occasional explanation of Ryan Gosling's attractiveness (our French teacher didn't see it). Focusing on talking was a major help to my language skills, and I left France very proficient at the language.

You also take seminars that meet once a week. I'd recommend the Société Française class.

Actually living in Cannes is a lot of fun. The beaches are wonderful, and the town itself has a lot of character (especially the old town with its narrow, cobblestone streets). Food along Le Suquet (in the old part of town) is really good. It's only a couple of euros and a 40 minute bus ride to get to Nice, and there you have that city or the airport to go fly off to some other really cool destination.

Cannes was a great place to study in the spring because of the film festival. My AIFS resident adviser, Sandrine, helped me find an internship for the festival that went alongside my journalism major. So for the majority of it, I blogged about the festival and got to talk to, photograph, and occasionally interview some famous actors and actresses at the festival (one of my highlights was actually getting to speak French with Marion Cotillard). The film festival is a ton of fun, whether you intern at it or just go as a fan. AIFS gets you passes that get you into the movies, and you have the chance to go to the premieres and walk on the red carpet.

Overall, it was a great experience, and AIFS was a really good program to go with. Their resident director, Sandrine, was more than helpful. She set up a lot of great excursions every week, like Monaco, the Verdon Gorge, and cool, local towns we wouldn't have been able to get to on our own (as well as the fun, bigger trips like Paris, Florence, London, and Provence). She also helped us out when we were in a tight bind, like when my friend got a kidney infection and we had to rush off in an ambulance to the hospital. She took care of everything.

Anyway, I fully recommend studying abroad. You won't regret it, and the Cannes program is great.

The teachers all know exactly what they're doing when it comes to teaching French. They tailor to your needs and I ended up learning and retaining more French than I had in the previous four years. It's also great that other international students come to study French as well, so you get a better understanding of other cultures as well. The other courses offered are structured differently than American schools and I didn't really get out of it what I hoped to. The city is beautiful and it's wonderful walking everywhere. It's nice just to walk around and stop by cafe or gelato shop. The beach is literally right across the street which makes a fantastic reading spot when the sun is out. The atmosphere was just so relaxing that I felt I could focus more on my studies.

The college is a wonderful environment, from the students, to the professors to the cafeteria and security personnel.
The French language classes were challenging, but the professors were tremendously helpful, and they re-evaluate your level often so you can move up or down depending on your needs. They truly care about your success as a student and are willing to help in any way they can.
The non-language classes were fairly easy, but you still have to do your share of the work. It's not a semester off, but with an average effort you can easily get an A.
The AIFS staff on campus are second to none. They are responsive and willing to bend over backwards to help. I went to them for advice on the town, the culture, travel destinations, and also for day to day needs (where can I get a hair straightener that will work? They actually had one in the office we could borrow!).
I've talked with other students who went on different study abroad programs, and none of the others came close to the level of involvement and commitment to the students that the AIFS Cannes program has.
GO!

I did experience some difficulties living abroad, but they mostly related to picking up and moving half-way across the world. It was both terrifying and exciting but turned out to be one of the best decisions I've ever made.

My goal in studying abroad was to really improve my ability with the language. Living and learning in such a beautiful place with a number of people who could only speak French was ideal. Additionally, I ended up taking all of my classes (including non-language classes) in French even though the idea made me nervous at first.

Sandrine, the program coordinator, said that she'd be more than happy to help me with difficulties, advice I took advantage of on several occasions. By the time I came back to the US, I was comfortable speaking casually even though I knew my speaking wasn't perfect.

I'm returning to France this summer and am completely excited! I hope I haven't forgotten too much!

One of the best experiences I had in college was studying abroad in Cannes. I went for my spring semester, which was perfect because we were there for the festival. Being a part of the AIFS group was wonderful - I loved that we came from different schools and different parts of the country. We all became friends, and some I became close enough with that I still name them as some of my best friends, and keep in touch with them today. The two AIFS representatives in Cannes with us were like older sisters - helpful, warm, and knowledgeable.

We also had a great time being in the Collège in Cannes - it gave a great opportunity to make friends with international students all over the world - from France to Brazil to Switzerland to Japan. Having mixed classes with different nationalities gave a much better perspective on learning the French language, and the classes were challenging but engaging. Living day-to-day at the Collège was great; I especially enjoyed living right next to the beach, where we would often spend our afternoons in the sun and evenings hanging out with friends, as well as my specific Art History and French Civilization classes. It was my first experience taking French classes that were subject-specific, as opposed to just general language classes, and it was a great way to learn that really interested me.

The trips - to London, Paris, and around Provence - were extremely well organized and I always enjoyed the activities we did, as well as appreciated the free time and choice we were given. It was a nice contrast from a trip I took in high school: although things are planned for you, you are given the freedom to come and go as you like. I usually chose to stay with the group as the things we saw, such as the ampitheatre in Nîmes, a winery in Provence, and a Cabaret in Paris, were always fun and great opportunities. It was perfect that these trips were included in the package and we didn't need to pay extra.

Staying in Cannes also had the benefit of the Film Festival in May, and we had unique opportunities through our program to go to film screenings, walk the red carpet, and help out at a gala event all through AIFS, and for free.

All in all it was a unique, well-organized, exciting experience that I will always cherish.

The AIFS Cannes, France program had everything: challenging courses for every level with great teachers, beautiful and exotic scenery, safe environment for everyone to enjoy themselves, opportunities to gain work or internship experience and travel throughout Europe and even Northern Africa at affordable prices, etc. It was definitely one of the greatest experiences in my life.

I absolutely loved studying abroad in Cannes - it is one of the highlights of my college experience. The people at the College are incredibly helpful and willing to do almost anything to make your experience the best it can be. The university housing is very nice - the dorms are clean and neat with more than adequate space. The classes, while challenging, are great. They require effort, but are not overwhelming. I had the most amazing study abroad experience I could have asked for, and made friends I still keep today. It was fun, eye-opening, and made me stretch myself and learn in ways I never before thought possible.