CIEE

The first few days in a new country by yourself are rough. You’re jet lagged, overwhelmed, and trying to remember all the new, important information you need to know about living abroad. CIEE did a very good job helping us get slowly acclimated to Copenhagen in a way that wasn’t too overwhelming, but I still felt like I could dive right into what the city had to offer. They were very organized and professional during the orientation period, and they gave us lots of people we could talk to if we were feeling like a fish out of water.

CIEE Rennes was an incredible program! The program director and assistants made each activity we did very special. They truly wanted us to be apart of the culture and try everything while we were in Rennes. For example, one night the director reached out to us and took us to an opera, Carmen. He didn’t have to do that but he did because he really cared about our experience. The program did an excellent job communicating with us, as well as listening to us, the students. I am so grateful to have been apart of a program. I highly recommend to anyone!

CIEE sets the standard for study abroad visits for language learning. Everything about the program met or exceededd my expectations -- from the lessons to the food, from the transportation and cultural experiences to the friends I met along the way, it was all so fantastic that it's hard to know where to begin.
First, logistics. Nothing about the experience could be possible without a fantastic grasp of logistics, and CIEE understands this well. We were always taken care of -- lines of communication were always open with CIEE staff in case of trouble, and the program schedule was communicated to us clearly and openly. During the program, we were equipped with cheap flip phones so we could call the program leaders -- leaders we knew well who also guided us during our excursions -- whenever we needed everything. The management felt personal, warm, and competent.
Staying with the host family is probably the most important part of the experience, because that's how you gain knowledge of French used in an everyday setting and make real ties with the local community. Everything about this was handled well-- everyone in my ten-person group was amazed at how well their host families fit with their personalities and interests. The host families were welcoming and human. That being said, I found a few things about family life in France hard to get used to-- cooking Gallettes was always a struggle for me-- and, like in any family, there can be some personal hiccups or interpersonal issues. It is hard to become close to people when you only half-understand much of what they say. It's all part of the process.
About half of your time during the program will be taken up by classes, which run until 3:15 PM every day except Fridays, when they end at noon. The classes are run totally in French. Each week has a theme and three types of classes -- grammar, written comprehension and production, and oral compmrehension and production. There are two levels of classes -- intermediate and advanced -- and you are sorted based on your level of French at the beginning of the program. The intermediate classes tended to be very lively and got sidetracked a lot, while the advanced classes were much more focused (but were also, as the intermediate students constantly reminded us, less fun). The curriculum focuses generally on issues in the modern world, with the reading comprehension being pretty much entirely news and magazine articles. This isn't bad, but personally I would have preferred a much greater emphasis on French literature and the authors that made the French language worth our time in the first place -- Molière, Descartes, Voltaire, Montesquieu, Hugo, Foucault, De Beauvoir, Sartre, etc, etc. As I mention in the question section, conteporary culture is probably not the strongest suit of French.
You are given daily homeworks but these tend to be pretty short. The grammar homeworks can be finished in about ten minutes often; the writing and oral comprehension homeworks take longer but still usually not more than an hour. I generally liked the classes, but sometimes students found them boring. Remember that school is school.
Finally, there are the excursions. We had four of these -- Fougères, Saint-Malo, Mont Sant-Michel, and Nantes. These last the entire day and are great! We usually got to skip the line in the tourist spots, and we often got guided tours or other special perks. One time, in Saint-Malo, the staff decided to delay going back to Rennes for ten minutes so we could get ice cream! All throughout, the staff are friendly, helpful, and warm. These give you an opportunity ot better understand Breton and French culture and history.

I absolutely loved this program. This was an invaluable experience and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested. The planned excursions were so much fun, and the program staff were very helpful and kind. There is so much to do in Copenhagen, you will never be bored. One of my favorite parts about the program was the fact that the city was extremely bikeable and walkable. There are so many options for things to do, and there are tons of different neighborhoods to explore. This city is perfect for those who are looking for a wonderful adventure. Do this program!

I spent 6 weeks of my summer studying in London with CIEE and I had an amazing experience. I felt that I gained so much independence from this trip and learned a lot about visiting different countries throughout Europe and the UK. The staff was so welcoming and made sure we knew everything we needed to before we even arrived. The classes were defiantly more challenging, but I feel that I learned so much both inside and outside of classes in just 6 weeks. I wish there was more collaboration between local London students and our group because I mainly stayed with other Americans for the duration that I was here.