France: Pau - French Language and European Studies

USAC Pau was an incredible experience. I had the oppoturnity to study abroad twice once with Kent State University in Florence, Italy and with USAC in Pau, France. I felt that I had a better experience in Florence because of the housing location in the center of Florence. The only downside to USAC Pau is that the dorms are located farther from the city center. Public transit is a great option but not necessarily reliable as the French workers often strike leaving the busses not in operation. The staff is wonderful and the location is fantastic. If you are able to travel on the weekends, you have many options! Bordeaux, Bayonne, Biarritz, Lourdes, Barcelona, Toulouse, Lyons, Paris you name it!! The food is wonderful as well! Try foie gras (a local speciality) and the local wine Jurançon. Excellent trip and would absolutely recommend!

The town of Pau is a quaint yet modern. The French streets and centre-ville are quintessentially French and this town turned out to be the perfect place to study abroad. It is easy to travel in the surrounding area to make for a weekend adventure but having Pau as a home base facilitates being in school throughout the week and being successful in class, including consistent attendance. My program through USAC as well as a course I was taking, accommodated dates and times as well as activities and guides for weekend visits to other towns and regions. Personally, my whole undergraduate career was leading up to my study abroad experience, and I was thinking ahead of time what it would be like once I returned home and how I could use the experience abroad to affect my life after I returned home, in work and school and my general outlook on life. Study abroad affected all of these aspects in a positive way.
Something important that I didn't anticipate was that my immune system would be affected and I would get sick while I was abroad. This happened twice where I had to go to a physician but I was able to use the University medical services and the people there were very helpful and understanding and the services as well as medicine were not nearly as expensive as they would have been back home. That was a pleasant surprise, but these services were also covered through the study abroad insurance. I also found that I needed to commute to school, while it is not easy to choose where a future host family lives, it might be useful to mention that proximity to campus is a key factor in your housing preferences. Getting lost is just something that happens and will happen often, if you are someone who has a great sense of direction I would offer your services or assert yourself amongst friends and classmates! International phone plan is also absolutely necessary, especially being able to use internet without wifi (which will happen often because there is not nearly as much free wifi in France as there is in the U.S.). If you have arranged for a host family, make this a priority, this is THE best way to improve your french outside of class, and only a couple hundred dollars more than the dorms (but includes more meals in a family setting, laundry and in most cases wifi at home, a kitchen, etc.). Also know that arrangements for housing aren't all clearly laid out ahead of time, each family is particular and will generally offer more than they are expected because I found that most French families are generous. The program will make every effort to match your specific and ideal requests with the right family and do not hesitate to ask for exactly what you would like in a home stay experience.

Last year, I packed my bags in the middle of July and headed across the globe for five months to explore continental Europe and improve my French. I can whole-heartedly say that living in Pau was one of my favorite, most cherished times of my life, and here's why:

1. I lived with a French family who welcomed me into their home and city with unparalleled hospitality. I had two host sisters who would invite me to go get dinner or coffee, watch movies, or take walks around the neighborhood, and my host parents would teach me to cook traditional French recipes and help me with my language homework. Dinners with my host family were accompanied by hours and hours of French conversation. I learned so much about French culture through these dialogues (not to mention vocabulary!).

2. My French professors were incredibly helpful. Spending hours in a classroom reading, writing, and speaking French can get tiresome, but my professors were passionate about helping us improve. We often discussed French culture versus our home countries, and since my classmates were from all over the world (Angola, Columbia, South Korea, China, etc.), I learned so much about so many different cultures. I made amazing friendships with both French and international students, and it was helpful to practice my French with peers while learning about them and their home countries in the process.

3. Pau is a city unlike any other. Nestled near the Pyrénées mountain along the western coast of France, it takes less than two hours to reach either the mountains or the beach. Pau has a small-town vibe, but if you look for a night-life, you can find it. The centre-ville is quaint and filled with rich history, but it is also a technologically-advanced city, not to mention absolutely beautiful. There are always events taking place, plus tons of restaurants and shops. Anything you're looking for, you can find it in Pau!

I always knew I wanted to study in France, but was unsure how to choose the city. What I wanted most was an authentic French experience with an opportunity to speak French 24/7. Pau went above and beyond my expectations. By the end of the semester, I was able to have complete conversations with total strangers in French; my playlists were filled with French music that I had picked up from the radio, my host sisters, and other friends; I could walk all around the city without a map and know exactly where I was. Pau is the perfect town for a study abroad experience, and USAC's connections with host families and the university were second to none.

As for myself, Pau truly became a home away from home and I cannot wait to visit again.

This program represented many firsts for me. It was my first time studying abroad, my first time visiting France, and the first time I’ve stayed with a host family.

The two greatest benefits of the program are the fact that Your French skills will definitely improve and that you will meet wonderful people from many different backgrounds. This USAC program is special in that regard because the students you find in your classes are not just your fellow Americans, they come from other international backgrounds. Incidentally, I was the only USAC student in my french classes.

I must also use this space to give a shout out to the Pau Staff. I couldn’t have succeeded in the program without their continuous support.

If you’d like to take advantage of a genuine international experience in a quaint french town with a lot to offer then this program is for you. If you’re serious about becoming a francophone then don’t hesitate. You won’t regret it!

L'Université de Pau et des pays de l'adour is only of those universities that brings in students from all over the world, so I met people from all over. At the same time, the program helps big time in connecting its students to French students/locals. Both in and out of class, my French level skyrocketed. Also, lots of cool excursions and things to see and do in/around Pau. Hoping I get to go back someday!

My summer in France was amazing. The USAC staff was great at making the before process really smooth. My advisor had no problem answering all of my questions.

My host family was really nice and made an effort to help me feel like part of their family. They took me on all of their family trips and even helped me practice my French. Even just spending a couple weeks in France made a big difference in my language skills.

The USAC Pau program provides numerous opportunities for all students learning French. The academic set-up of this program is to give all students an equal chance to learn French according to their abilities and speed. The onsite staff and professors greatly encouraged and supported all students regardless of level and that gave us a welcoming and accommodating feeling in a city we were new to. In addition to the in-class academics, USAC organized tours and field trips throughout the semester to nearby cities and towns. Not only did it give us the chance to improve our French outside of the classroom, but to also get acquainted to our surroundings and the culture of Southwest France.

The city itself is undeniably picturesque. The main street in Pau, Boulevard des Pyrenees, where much of the night life can be found, has the backdrop of the Pyrenees mountain range. With that, there are many opportunities for studies to experience the outdoors with university-led hiking, skiing and kayaking trips.

While Pau may be hard to find on the map of France, it is a phenomenal city with a phenomenal program. The amount of knowledge that I gained in not only French, but also about myself and the world is innumerable.

I highly suggest that you consider this program. The onsite staff, the host families, the professors and the community as a whole was so extremely welcoming. Pau will forever be considered another home for me.

I went to Pau, France for about 5 weeks during the summer of 2013 through USAC. I took many years of French in high school and wanted to be able to use some of what I learned in real world applications. I had also never been to Europe before and thought this would be a great place to visit for the first time.

Pau is a town of about 100,000 close to the Basque country in Southern France. It's quaint and quintessentially French--a lot of the customs are still observed in Pau, such as closing shops down on Sunday, that you probably won't find in a big city like Paris. Moreover, if you're looking to practice your French, Pau would be a great city since not a lot of people automatically speak English back to you. Even though it's a small town, there's still a downtown with bars, museums, restaurants and shops, so you won't get bored, especially if you're there for a short period of time.

The program directors were great--they addressed all of our concerns in a timely manner. The course instructors were very good as well--they were local French professors who taught foreign students. I definitely felt that my French improved greatly after my month abroad.

Pau is close to bigger cities such as Toulouse and Bordeaux--only about 2 hours away by train. The city is also close to beaches on the Atlantic ocean as well as the resort city of San Sebastian, Spain, and the program includes enough free time to visit all of these places. The optional Paris tour was great too--got to see all the major sites in just a few days.