A Fantastic Way to Experience the World's Greatest City

The year I spent abroad with HCJYF (Hamilton College Junior Year in France) was without a doubt the best year in my life, and the program is to thank for much of that. Not only did they make navigating the French university system doable (let's be honest, it's never going to be easy...), they put me in a housing situation where I felt welcome, yet gave me the tools (in particular the language skills - I believe the program is unrivaled in the way it really encourages a full immersion in the language) that allowed me to be independent and navigate the city on my own.
Reid Hall, the program center, is a wonderful place to study and just spend time. The garden is beautiful, and we really took advantage of this during the springtime.
The classes aren't on par with what you'd take at Hamilton College or a comparable university in the U.S., but there is NO program that offers you a really rigorous academic experience, and honestly that simply isn't what going abroad is about. With HCJYF you have the opportunity to learn, and to be involved in classes that are really interesting (my art history course visited a different museum every week -- what better way to begin a year abroad in one of the art capitals of the world?), but also allows you the time to experience Paris. And that, is what the program is all about.
Above and beyond all this, the orientation in Biarritz, and the many program-sponsored excursions are really wonderful and enriching and 100% covered by your tuition.
All in all a really incredible experience. They've been doing this for 75 years and the really have it down.