Grenoble: A Wonderful Cultural Immersion

Studying in Grenoble, France was the best decision I could have made. I wanted to improve my French abroad, but I decided Paris wasn't the city for me as I knew it was possible to get around speaking English there.

Grenoble was perfect because the locals were so welcoming and were quite patient with our developing French. They were also interested in why we were in Grenoble and how we liked it. We easily made friends with French college students by accidentally becoming language buddies. Many of our conversations were bilingual and it was an amazing experience.

Going to a university in France was an interesting experience. It was the complete opposite of my home university and took some getting used to. However, it was a learning experience and taught me a lot about myself and my learning styles.

As for API, I could not have chosen a better program. My program manager in the US was incredibly helpful during the entire application and pre-departure process. She answered my numerous emails and was quick to get me any documents that I might have been missing. My resident directors in Grenoble were the sweetest women and took good care of us. They were a phenomenal resource adjusting to France and provided invaluable advice on getting along with our host families.

In all honesty, I would not have changed anything about my study abroad location. While a challenging experience, it ended up being incredibly positive. The combination of API and Grenoble was perfect for me and I wished I spent an entire year there.