Program Reviews

I really enjoyed having the opportunity to study abroad. I really liked the field trips we took, especially the ones to Mt. Saint Michel and Carteret Beach. Art trips every Tuesday were also quite nice. Adam was an amazing teacher. He has an awesome vibe and he really helped me maximize my creative potential. The energy in the art studio was almost always immaculate and we had a good time.

This is completely unrelated but here’s a movie quote: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

I was one of three writing students, which quickly became two. The other student then migrated over to the film department so I benefited from one on one writing feedback sessions. While it was nice at points I do wish I had a community to talk with about the work I was doing. There were a lot of studio artists and I wish there had been a better distribution across the concentrations.

Outside of the work, the community was great. We were close, had movie nights, did Just Dance in the living room, made brownies at midnight. Every Saturday we went on a field trip around the peninsula. It was a distinctly unique experience to see and learn about the place I was in, including the history portion when we went to the D-Day museum. All staff members are always willing to help, or talk, regardless of their position within the program.

This program gave me the time and space to focus on my art and gave me community and support in my time here. It is meant for a very specific person and I do wish that this program was more clear about not having much independent time or freedoms. It is a helpful program and all the staff here has nothing but your best interest at heart. It is a program where you are given a space and a roommate but you have to provide your own art materials and food. The cook here is great but be prepared to do a small amount of work preparing food and cleaning . I personally enjoyed it but just know this coming in you get what you give here.all the staff are great and helpful. It’s been a nice experience and I truly cannot be mad as everything here is beautiful. Huge shoutout to laurns for being a genuine person and always showing up for me authenticity.

The program was quite fulfilling. Having to make art in the middle of a lovely pastoral scenery was an inspiring experience. The community was quite loving and I felt like I belonged, especially with the staff. Adam was a great teacher, Bogdan was really nice and taught me a lot in the kitchen and Cage and Amber were super enthusiastic program directors. I really learned a lot about independent living between the kitchen and the residential life. The many field trips gave me the true Normandy experience, and the artistic concentrations helped me develop as a creative. I feel a lot better about my art and I feel like I spent my gap year doing something productive while also having a lot of fun ;)

This program was a very valuable experience to me. I really enjoyed all the group outings and the food was amazing. I really learned a lot from everyone I met here the program was very fun and I feel like these are people I will stay in contact with for the rest of my life.

I had a lot of fun, and I feel like I’ve grown a lot as a person and as an actor. The Chateau is beautiful and AmBer is a wonderful acting teacher. Shoutout to her. The weekly trips around Normandy were really fun, and I really appreciated the level of independence we were given. I have met some great people here!

One of the highlights for me was the week long Paris trip. Every day we had one required place to visit, like a museum or something, and the rest of the day we were free to do anything as long as we came back by midnight. I was pleasantly surprised by that level of freedom and made some of my favorite memories during that time.

I also loved the weekly creative workshops, where you could explore outside of your artistic concentration. I especially loved being in the ceramics studio. Overall, I had a pretty good time here, and I would recommend!

I initially signed up for this program as a college filler before I knew I was going to college. Coming to Berridge I was unsure about what the living situation would be like, the food, and the people. The lessons I received as an actor were really valuable. Duane, Amber, and Cage are great teachers and I really learned a lot from them. I have taken a handful of classes and the lessons I had here were some of the best.The food overall was great and really pushed me out of my comfort zone as a picky eater, and gave me a lot of experience in the kitchen. The staff in general were so friendly and supportive. I loved the weekend field trips they took us on and learning more about Normandy was so cool. I had such a great time I would reccomend.

Super gnarly, everyone was totally tubular, I just wish there were less restrictions. It was nice meeting different people, but going out with only limited amounts of time created anxiety. More freedom because it’s not everyday we in France. We gotta live it up. I understand the strictness of the art concentrations but I think it should be more eventful.

The world is peaceful there. To be a part of spring coming to life in Normandy is wonderful. I was able to create art I felt truly proud of with the help of some lovely teachers. The food was amazing, the staff was amazing the grounds were amazing. I just enjoyed waking up there. It’s not too long either — the perfect length for me personally. If you haven’t gone to college yet, it’s the perfect taste of being away from home. I don’t really know what else to say. I’m so happy I came! I highly recommend :)

This was an amazing gap year program, I met really incredible people and had invaluable artistic guidance. It’s rare that you find an environment with this many artistically driven and passionate people, it was a once in a lifetime experience. The chateau is beautiful and we traveled to so many wonderful locations in Normandy. I was a studio art student and the instruction was incredible, Adam and Hal are the best art teachers I have ever had and helped me develop my creative practice tremendously. From the bottom of my heart I truly recommend this program to anyone considering it!!