My experience in the French Language Program in Grenoble, France

When I first looked into studying abroad, I had never even heard of Grenoble. But after doing some research, I realized it would actually be a great place to start my time in France. It's a smaller city, which made it much easier to learn how to get around and ease into daily life in France before navigating bigger cities like Paris on my own time.

From day one, I felt supported by the program. We started with an orientation that covered everything from course info to safety tips and how to get around on the tram system. Getting our tram passes and learning how to navigate the city right away helped me feel way more at ease. The program coordinator, Brie, and her team were also amazing. They created such a welcoming environment and were always there to help or just make sure we were having a good time.

I was in the intensive French language program taking courses at the B1 level, so we had four hours of class each morning, with about a 30-minute break in between where we could either head to the cafeteria and grab a quick meal like quiche (or a chocolate croissant) or walk to a nearby restaurant. Our afternoons were usually free, which gave us time to explore Grenoble, but the program also planned lots of community engagement activities to spend time with the locals, especially during the first two weeks. We also went on some fun outings! One of my favorites was taking the cable car up to the Bastille for a panoramic view of the city and also when we went up to Mont-Blanc to see the snowy mountains in June.

This program gave me the chance to improve my French and meet some great people. If you're thinking about studying abroad in France, Grenoble is such a special place to do it!