CIEE College Study Abroad in Rennes, France

CIEE Staff Support
The staff of the CIEE Rennes program are beyond wonderful. They are accessible, warm, caring, supportive, and detail-oriented. They were available and helpful before I came to France and during my entire stay. They went out of their way to make sure I and my other group mates not only settled in but also thrived in Rennes. They provided excellent support for the transition to life and academics abroad. They even go as far as to ask us for our interests and create lists of extracurriculars (i.e., gyms, places to hang out, etc.) that allow us to get involved in life outside of school too!

School and extracurriculars
I found the coursework at CIREFE comprehensive and challenging but not overwhelming. The professors there were incredibly kind and dynamic. My language skills improved dramatically due to the instruction I received.

CIREFE has many extracurriculars open to their students such as Breton dance, music, and theatre. This allows students to build community with other international students!

CIEE also allowed me the opportunity to participate in their TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) program. This program combines a teaching assistant position for one hour a week with a concurrent class run by a CIEE teacher. It was an invaluable experience to be able to learn in the classroom and in real-life practice at the same time!

Host family
The time I spent with my host family was the highlight of my experience abroad. They were very well matched to my personality and preferences, and they welcomed me into their house as if I was a member of their own family. Staying with them is what improved my language acquisition the most. I also learned a lot from them about French culture; participating in things such as galettes de roi, holidays, birthdays, and just afternoon teas where we got to talk and exchange details of our lives! A year after leaving the program, I maintain contact with my host family!
(Note: my level of french is B2/intermediate)

Additionally, the Breton culture of Rennes runs strong! The medieval colorful half-wood paneled buildings and the rich history of the city shine through and make Rennes a really special place in France to experience.

Outings/ Excursions
The CIEE staff took our group on a number of outings in Rennes and in nearby areas in France. These outings were incredible opportunities to get to see the country and to try new activities! My semester excursions included: Mont Saint-Michel, Saint-Malo (where we went sea kayaking!), Paris, La Roche aux fées (historic neolithic doleman), and the Fougères castle.

If you want to travel independently, Rennes is very well connected to the train and bus systems of France. With my student status, I was able to benefit from 5 euro bus rides to cities surrounding Rennes. On this bus, I was able to visit places like Brocéliande, the legendary enchanted forest from Arthurian legend!

LGBT safety
If you’re a part of the LGBT community like me and wondering if Rennes is safe and if the CIEE team is accepting, wonder no longer! This was a real concern of mine before going abroad. When I came to Rennes, I was very happy to see that it is a diverse and eclectic city with a decent LGBT population. The CIEE staff were incredibly supportive and accepting, and had no problem using preferred pronouns!

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 would highly recommend a CIEE program to anyone interested in traveling abroad. The directors of the program in Rennes were fantastic, and the professors excellently taught the course material. There is a lot to explore in Bretagne with many wonderful festivals and activities during the summer (Tombée de la nuit), with weekends and open afternoons great for traveling between cities! My most favorites places to visit included: Saint-Malo (beautiful beach and town, but be wary of seagulls), Dinan (really beautiful), Paris (of course!), and Fougères.

I loved my time studying abroad in Rennes. I was fortunate enough to live with a wonderful host family who were willing to answer my *many* questions and who were excited to introduce me to their culture. I enjoyed my classes at Université Rennes 2, and felt supported by CIEE staff as I navigated the registration process. I also grew to adore the ease of transport with Rennes two metro lines and numerous buses (which were almost always on time). I felt safe wandering about the city, even after dark.

I have some major food allergies (peanuts) but I had little difficulty navigating my allergies while abroad. I'd recommend researching what the common allergin labels are for food before you travel. Food allergies are less common in France (due to frequent early exposure), so you may have to carefully explain dietary issues to those around you. However, like I said, I had no issues.

I'd say the most challenging part of this program for me was the number of protests, leading to days where we missed class. Our program leaders did a great job helping ensure we got the number of hours of instruction needed to transfer our credits, and explaining what was going on around us. I always felt safe.

If you participate in this program (and I hope you will) take advantage of all the clubs and trips offered by CIREFE (The Exchange Student Branche of the University) and CIEE. Those were some of the best parts of my study abroad experience.

I also recommend this program to anyone interested in education. I was able to participate in a field experience teaching English in a French high school. There were also opportunities at the middle and elementary level. My host teacher was very helpful and I enjoyed working with my students.

This is an awesome opportunity if you want to practice your French. You will hopefully make great friends, like I did, and have some amazing chances to travel. It can be kind of intense, but you definitely experience full immersion with your host family and classes. Just to be clear, you will be taking classes with other international students, not in the university classes with other French students. It is still super cool to meet the students from all over the world. I really loved the program, but sometimes the administrators were not very clear about how the academic part of the program would work until you were registering for classes.

This was my first time out of the country and it's safe to say it won't be my last. CIEE and its wonderful staff made my time in Rennes extremely fun and beneficial. I learned more French than I could have imagined while, more importantly, become very well acquainted with the complex and gentle French culture and people. Each day was a new adventure and leaving was by far the hardest part. What really made it whole was my host family that was always there for me and showed me everything there is to know about Rennes and the nearby picturesque beach called Saint-Malo! Thank you especially to Daniel and Valentina for making this experience so amazing!

I am really happy that I chose this program! I had already thought that I would choose this program about a year before I went. I was lucky enough to have had a friend be in the program the previous year, so she gave me advice and told me about the different things I would do. I don't think I would have chosen differently!
I love the classes and my peers! The classes are really fun and informative! Both of the instructors that I have had have been so kind and helpful. The people in my class are understanding and helpful as well. There are two classes and I have gotten to know the students in the other class and we all get along really well!
It has been such a great summer and I am really lucky to be here! There is so much to do in Rennes and it has not been a boring summer at all. Also the food is super great! I have gotten into a nice routine as well! A big plus for Rennes' public transportation systems as well!
I love the family that I am placed with and feel so comfortable with them. They are so kind and patient. I actually live with the same family as my friend who did the program last year! They are probably some of the BEST people I have ever met!