Lyon: the illuminated city that feels like home October 02, 2024

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I completed the Summer 2024 semester in Lyon with USAC and the classes were both highlights and struggles of the semester! I only took the French language and conversation classes, along with a 1 credit cuisine class, and depending on someone's level in French, they would be placed accordingly. All of my teachers at UCLY turned out to be really enjoyable! The downside is that the class schedule was long and there was only a real break halfway through the day. So as someone from a dry environment, waking up to sit in a humid classroom without A/C for hours on end took some getting used to. But the teachers were all great and I felt that my language skills had never been better!

On-site administration of your program

Stefano and Olga are really kind and helpful resources with most things related to living abroad! However there were sometimes that they needed to be reached out to during certain situations and it took some time to get a response.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I stayed at the Residence Andre Allix, in the 5th arrondissement in Lyon. The accommodations were great, the people in the apartment were also kind, as they were other international students as well. My only complaint to keep this place from being 5 stars is that it was all the way up the Fourviere hill, so if you plan on staying out past midnight when the buses and the funicular closes, you're going to have to hike or get an uber!

I think French food can speak for itself, but specifically in Lyon, the bouchons were my favorite part. Although the traditional cuisine may not be for everyone, I think being able to try all sorts of different dishes was great, and I highly recommend that people go around Lyon in southern France such as in Bourgogne, Marseille, and Nice, for their local dishes as well.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I think trying your best to put in the effort to speak French and adapt to the culture is the best way to put yourself out there in Lyon. The Lyonnais are some of the kindest people I've met if you do attempt to speak their language, and because of that I never really felt like an outsider.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Only 1 time did I have a health issue and it was a long persisting cough. I went to one of the many local pharmacies and got myself cough drops to help out.

Pretty safe and comfortable for me overall, however one person did get their phone stolen right out of their hands. Things like this happen in many big cities however.

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

Lyon is about averaged price for Europe, which is definitely better than most metropolitan places in the US, but being a student who didn't really cook much, the food prices racked up quite a bit. So if you want to save on something, learn some cooking!

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

Our classes were almost all taught in French, and France is notorious for having everything in their language.

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• Dorm

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• Americans
• International Students

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• Americans
• International Students

• Food
• Exploring a new land
• Meeting new people

• Communication with advisors