Study Abroad with CEA at the Global Paris Campus

CEA Paris is overall a fantastic program for those looking to really learn about the city of Paris. They offer several courses that involve going out into the physical sphere of the city, and using it as a live classroom.

I took Architecture of Paris and History of Haute Couture. Both classes were very interesting and I truly learned a lot about the city. Both professors of the classes were engaging, helpful, and entertaining.

CEA does a great job at providing cultural opportunities for students in Paris. Through CEA, I was able to attend a soccer match, a rugby match, and a cooking class. In addition, the included excursions to Provence, Bruges, Champagne, and Fontainebleau were a good way to experience different parts of France.

Overall, I would definitely recommend the program to other people. The CEA staff is incredibly friendly, accessible, and resourceful, and they definitely take any feedback you say to heart. Paris is a wonderful city and they do a good job to try and help you adjust to it. However, CEA does have a few issues they need to improve on, such as academics and housing, but overall, I had a phenomenal experience.

Critical Feedback:

CEA's classes generally do not meet on fridays, which is nice for travel. However, when it comes to CEA's academics, the attendance policy could be frustrating at times. As a college student, my belief is that the only one who loses when you miss class is you, because therefore you missed important material. However, CEA disagrees and only lets you miss 4 sessions of a class that meets twice a week for the whole semester. While I am not one to miss class most of the time, it is frustrating for those times when I would want to travel for longer periods of time, or miss class for other events such as friends or parents being in town.

Furthermore, CEA is very strict on switching the type of program you are in once you are in Paris, which is hard because sometimes you do not realize the rigor of the situation until you get there. CEA Paris offers several hybrid programs with the Sorbonne, Novancia Business School, and other French Schools that are definitely more demanding than just the CEA program. I had several friends who realized that they were too overwhelmed in these hybrids programs, but were told that they couldn't switch. CEA Paris' Academic Dean could be a bit rude at times when people would request to switch, so if you do decide to do any of the hybrid programs, make sure you are set on it. As someone who did the Sorbonne hybrid program, I certainly improved my French by having it every day of the week for 2 hours, but it hindered my ability to travel and see the city, so I am torn as to whether or not I would do the hybrid program all over again.

Housing is CEA Paris' biggest downfall. That is not necessarily the fault of the program, but the conditions of the city itself. I was fortunate to receive the exact housing situation I wanted (an apartment in the 11th), however, I had several friends who were VERY unhappy with their housing. I had friends who were put in a homestay who did not want that at all, and other friends who were put into housing that was called an apartment but looked more like a dorm room with a hot plate and a sink. I think if CEA were to provide more apartments in better locations, it would be the perfect program. My advice would be to not take the gamble of being assigned housing, but rather opt for independent housing, and try to sublet an apartment for the semester. Not only would you be able to pick the location and your roommates, but you would also be allowed to have guests stay over, which is against CEA policy. (This is especially useful if you have other friends studying abroad who will want to visit you)