CEA Paris: A Life-changing Experience Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

While abroad in Paris I attended classes at the CEA Global Campus with other American students in the same program. The classes were interesting but not too demanding. My favorite was an oenology class - useful in a country known for its wine! For a rather small number of students there was a wide variety of classes to choose from, and they were nice enough to give us Fridays off. The grading system was similar to that of the U.S. (with the exception of my French class), and the professors were very helpful, friendly, and passionate about what they taught.

On-site administration of your program

I was extremely happy with my CEA experience, and all the staff were so friendly, helpful, and seemed to love their job. I felt that I could go to them with questions about the city, the school, traveling, etc. and they were always willing to help. They went out of their way more than once to help me with a couple different issues concerning my classes and passport during my semester.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived in Cité Universitaire, a residence hall for students and young people from all over the world. I had the best time living in Cité U and made some of my best friends there. There are many buildings that make up the entire Cité, and there is also a dining hall with excellent food, a gym, a park, an ATM, a post office, and a grocery store just around the corner. Plus it is right across the street from the RER station. Each floor of my hall had a kitchen where we usually cooked, and there was a common room as well. I did buy some basics like a pot and pan and towels, but bedding was provided and even changed for us every two weeks! The rooms in our building were huge for one person, so space was not an issue. Overall it was a great living situation and I felt at home right away. In the end I was not ready to move out!

I mostly bought groceries from the store and cooked with my friends in our dorm kitchen for dinners because it was the cheapest option. There are also a lot of reasonable options when it comes to eating out around Paris, and the food is, in my opinion, delicious!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

During my semester in Paris I met a group of people who are now some of my best friends. It is amazing how being abroad can make bonds form so quickly. We spent many fun weekends traveling Europe together, going to Italy, Ireland, Greece, Oktoberfest, Belgium, and to the Loire Valley (with CEA). Even now, two years later and spread out all over the U.S., we are close friends thanks to our time in Paris. CEA's trips to Deauville and to the Loire Valley were great and some of the best memories I have of the semester. It was a nice break to have weekends planned out for us and be able to enjoy parts of France we might not have visited otherwise.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Paris, like any big city, has its good and bad sides, which I saw both of during my time there. My advice, like that of most people, is to NEVER walk alone at night, and always try to plan out your return trip to your dorm/apt/host family/etc. before leaving for the evening so you are not stuck wandering the city trying to figure out where to catch the Night Bus or where the nearest metro station is in the dark. Like I said, Paris is no different from any other big city in regards to safety, and CEA is quick to help you out if you need anything, as they did with me. After an incident I had, my parents wrote a long thank you note to CEA, thanking them for being so quick to help me out.

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

I took a French language class and a French conversation class at the CEA Campus, which I felt helped my French quite a bit. However, Paris has many English speakers, and I found that it was hard to speak a lot of French while out and about in the city because people heard my accent or my trouble speaking and reverted to English. This of course has nothing to do with the program itself, though. My residence hall had many international students so there was quite a bit of French spoken, but also English as well.

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• Dorm

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• Americans
• International Students
• Local Students

• Class schedule with lots of opportunity for time to travel
• Housing options
• The chance to be independent but also have outings and events organized by CEA

• Opportunities for scholarships