A Semester in Paris

Ratings
Overall
5
Academics: 3
Support: 4
Fun: 4
Housing: 4
Safety: 3
Review

I spent four months in Paris at Cours de Civilisation Française de la Sorbonne with API, and I wholly enjoyed myself the entire time. I lived in an apartment in the 10th arrondissement with three other girls, all strangers. We got along sometimes, and didn't some other times, but that's expected. The location of the apartment was both advantageous and inconvenient for different reasons: it was helpful in that it was located squarely between two of the largest, busiest metro stations in the city that could take us almost anywhere. It was a little far from our classes, however. We had a 30 minute commute by metro, but this was manageable compared to some of the homestays that were located outside of Paris proper. We were also located in a neighborhood that I would not recommend to many female students as I occasionally felt unsafe.

Otherwise, the API staff were friendly and effective in solving most problems. The office was small but located in the very heart of the city, and featured computers for student use. This was helpful (and unfortunately necessary) for times when we could not use the public hotspots we relied on in our apartment.
The actual schoolwork was exactly at my level because the Sorbonne was effective in testing then assigning me an appropriate course level. Homework was always very light; I hardly had to spend more than an hour a day on it. Despite stereotypes, my teachers were all friendly and obliging.

The lack of outside school work provided ample opportunity to explore a very busy and fascinating city. Within the first week, API had toured many famous landmarks with us, so that left me to explore the sites more popular with the locals. I frequented every museum I could possibly get into, and enjoyed many of Paris' well-kept parks like native students. A note to students considering studying here: with a student long-stay visa, a student under 25 years of age can get into most museums for free, and many landmarks for a discounted price. This significantly cut down on my living expenses and provided entertainment after school every day.

Overall, this was an incredible experience considerably facilitated by a helpful program that I would recommend to anyone.

Would you recommend this program?
Yes, I would