Study Abroad in Le Mans, France Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The environment is very different in France. In the Art school, students have far more freedom and cross-disciplinary work is encouraged. However, critiques can be very harsh and thus students must be prepared to strongly defend their work. In such an environment a serious student can excel, and I found the work of my peers to be quite inspirational. The one downside was the operating hours of the school, which closed at 7pm each day. In the States many schools have 24 hour studio access, in France they do not.

On-site administration of your program

Overall, the administration was very helpful. However, the amount of paperwork a student must overcome in order to study in France is incredible. This is just the normal order of things there, but with almost monthly trips to the prefecture (aka. the VISA people), it was at times overwhelming. This relates to the administration in that I had difficulty finding staff to accompany me to these meetings, which was necessary in the first few months as I spoke barely any French.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My housing situation was a bit unconventional, which should be taken into consideration when reading this review. Normally, students arrive at ESBAM in the second semester, which coincides with when their 4th year students leave to study abroad. When a foreign student comes they generally just take over the apt. of one of the away French students;there are no official dorms. I, on the other hand, arrived in the first semester. At the time this had never been done and there were no away students with apartments I could take over. With such a predicament, I had to find an apt. The first week I was in a hotel, then I stayed on the couch of another student for the second week, after that a professor helped me find some dorm-type lodging. However, this was not to my liking as it was a bit expensive and far away from the school. After a month I moved into a cheaper flat that another student helped me find that was literally across the street from the school. It wasn't great, but it fit my needs and allowed me to save money to travel.

French food is great, but I'm assuming this question is referring to some sort of school-run meal plan. There was no meal plan where I was so I tended to eat quite simply to save money. If I had chosen to splurge a bit, I could have eaten extremely well.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The social and cultural/non-academic experience was the highlight of my trip. Being that I was the only native English speaking student in my school, I was forced to talk to and spend time with exclusively French people. This aspect of my time there was invaluable because it caused me to rapidly learn a language and gave me a sort of cultural insight that I fell is lacking in schools with large international student populations. I made many friends there and I look forward to returning to visit them.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

First of all, health care in France is ABSOLUTELY FREE, so any medical concerns should be put at ease by this fact. I had to get two vaccinations and a x-ray while I was there because I forgot the medical records necessary for my VISA extension. Beyond the headache provided by the paperwork, I didn't have to pay a cent. Moreover, I never felt unsafe in France; they don't have guns. I was robbed in Spain though, so students either studying or visiting there should be extra cautious.

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

When I arrived in France I spoke hardly a word of French, now I am close to fluency.