Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Though the courses I took were not very similar to those I normally take at William and Mary, I learned so much from them. Each day I took a 3 hour French language course. I had taken a lot of French in the past so I was placed in the most advanced level. This course load was very minimal though the course was rigorous in terms of the type of grammar we studied. The course was geared to teach us to write and speak as a highly educated French citizen would, so the curriculum was very challenging. It was also nice to have professors that were French and also taught students at other French universities. The teaching style is very different in France, so it was nice to be challenged to adjust to that type of education. In addition, I took a course in Art History which wasn't very difficult but was extremely educational. It was particularly nice to take field trips to nearby museums, galleries, and the work spaces of the artists that we studied. It was really special to be able to learn about an artist or an artistic style through examining the works themselves instead of just looking at slides.

On-site administration of your program

Sandrine and Aude, the women who acted as our administrators during our semester were WONDERFUL. They were always available to help us in any situation we needed, i.e. travel plans, doctors appointments, extracurricular activities, scholastic and personal issues. They were both French residents of the south of France and helped each of us adjust to the culture. The amount of friendly support and advice they provided far exceeded my expectations. Also, they frequently provided us with opportunities to explore French as well as European culture. Almost every weekend we had the option to go on a short trip to a French city or to some other location in Europe such as Florence and Paris. They also took us to local events such as the ballet, museums in Nice, countryside landmarks affiliated with artists like Cezanne and Van Gogh. Really, there were no weaknesses. I didn't expect how much value I was in store for with this program, and how the school would go out of its way to help us all feel at home.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Though I would have liked to be more immersed in the French culture by living with a French family (this wasn't offered for the Cannes program), I truly loved my living arrangements. The school had a dorm setting but was very cozy and made me feel at home. We didn't have to buy many items after move-in as they had bedding and sheets for us. Also, students ate meals at the dining room every day so we didn't need any cookware or anything. If you preferred to eat out at a restaurant or something that was also an option, though most students bought the meal plan. The neighborhood was very safe and the city as a whole was very comfortable. Most of the city was very aware of the College and amicable to the students. The location of the College was perfect because we were in a quiet neighborhood within a close walking distance to the best areas of the city and a few steps from the beach. The view from my room was the Mediterranean Sea, what could be better?

The food at the dining hall was fairly good and I ate many meals there. However, a few days a week I would go out to restaurants in the city and had great, reasonably priced food. There is a great range of places to eat in the city from small cafes to pricey seafood restaurants. Also, Cannes has some of the best Franco-Italian food, i.e. some of the best pizza in the world.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I just loved everything we did. We went to the French production of the musical RENT, the French ballet, many museums and galleries in Cannes as well as nearby places in the south of France. Our trips to nearby villages as well as cities like Paris, Florence, and London were fantastic. Those trips also allowed us the perfect balance of free time to explore and planned activities like behind the scenes tours of incredibly sites and meals at wonderful restaurants. I particularly loved our farewell dinner on the beach at a really nice restaurant in Cannes at the end of the semester. Also, I loved our group trip to Monaco as well as another trip to Monaco where we were able to attend the Monte Carlo Masters tennis tournament. Overall, the entire semester was incredible. I got so much more out of this semester abroad than I could have dreamed.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

The facilitators of our program made us feel very comfortable and at home. At one point during the semester, I got a really bad cold and the leader of our program went with me to a local doctor and helped make sure that I got all of the medication that I needed. It would have been really stressful to figure all of that out on my own but was really easy with all the support that I got from AIFS.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Though, I spoke English often with the other American students in my program, I spoke French a lot. In order to communicate in the city, and in other areas of France to which I travelled, I had to speak French. Also, my courses helped me learn to use a lot of advanced French grammar and to become more confident in communicating with native speakers.

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• Dorm

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• Americans