Aspire by API - Paris

Overall, the semester of my gap year spent in Paris with Aspire by API was above average - but not phenomenal. The program is well organized and the school is excellent, however I didn't feel that API did enough for its gap year students specifically. There were very few of us, and we did everything that the college students did - no more, no less. I wish that there had been some separate get-togethers planned for the gap year students, as we definitely had some different concerns than did the college students.

As for living arrangements, I chose to live in the dormitory, and honestly I don't think this was a great choice. The dorm is alright, but not ideal. API does a great job finding host families from what I could tell by visiting friends staying with local families. I also think that much more would be gained (in terms of language, culture, assimilation, etc.) by having opted to live in a home than in a dorm. The the main dorm used by API is intended for American students, so there is not very much intercultural interaction.

While my experience with Aspire by API did not quite measure up to the standard set by my first gap year semester program, this was not at all entirely API's fault. Most of my discontent - and again, it's not that I had an awful time, overall I gained a lot from the semester - came from issues with other students. I do wish that the program coordinators in Paris had been a little more welcoming so I would have felt more open to talking to them, but they mostly did what they could for so many students. When I lost my wallet at 1am, I was able to call one of the coordinators and she was very helpful despite the fact that I had woken her up.

Paris is an incredible city, and I think that any chance to live there should absolutely be taken. Aspire by API has room to grow, but the program absolutely provides for its students and should be considered when planning a gap year.