Paris Calls

What I loved most about going abroad was the independence. I had the opportunity to explore a new city entirely on my own. Well, not entirely on my own because I made a lot of friends along the way. I learned the language, ate the food, and soaked up the culture.
One of my favorite things about this program was the academics. I took classes that I never would have taken at my home school. All of my professors were engaging and clearly experts on their topics. Many of my professors took our classes outside the classroom so that we could learn about our topic first hand. My art history class, for example, took place in a variety of museums so that we were looking at the real art as we learned about it.
I also loved that the program offered a lot of field trips. I went to Normandy and Champagne with IES which are two places I certainly would not have gone to on my own. In Champagne we learned how the champagne is made and the way in which it is marketed to consumers. (The Champagne trip was for my Intro to Marketing Class). The program also had events on weekends where a faculty member would take students to different neighborhoods in Paris.
I recommend studying abroad in Paris even if you don’t speak French that well. I was very nervous my first few days in the city because my French is very poor, but I found that I had no problem at all! Living in Paris allowed me to practice my French. I found people to still be very nice to me even if I didn’t understand what they were saying or messed up my French. Don’t believe in the stereotypes!! The French are very nice!
I loved studying abroad in Paris and truly believe that I am a better person for having done it. The friendly faculty of IES were always there for me when I had questions or needed any assistance. I highly recommend going to Paris and having an experience like no other.