France : Reviews (Caen)
The following program review responses have been selected for publication by Study Abroad & Global Engagement
Rate Your Study Abroad Program!
Melissa Christine Corder,
Summer 2012 Participant
My favorite part of this program was the week tour. We grew together as a group and spoke French for most of the day. We were able to get comfortable speaking French with each other before being in the middle of Paris without an instructor by our sides.
Summer 2012 Participant
I felt that this program truly submerged the students within the French culture. I loved the fact that we lived in home-stays, were forced to use the language and figure out the city on our own, and truly see the city as if we were an inhabitant of Paris.
Summer 2012 Participant
Getting to know the people in my group while speaking a different language. Every single person on this trip was so unique in their own way, and it was great to get to know each and every person. Also enjoyed experiencing the French culture with such wonderful people.
Niloufar Shamloo,
Summer 2013 Participant
My favorite part of the program was when we got to travel in the north of France. I really loved some of the places we visited. Mont Saint Michel was the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my life! I also enjoyed having more free time in Paris after the tour to explore the city on my own (with friends) a little bit.
Summer 2014 Participant
I loved the tour portion because it showed me many different areas of France I normally wouldn't have visited. Each village had a different personality and a different twist. We weren't just focusing on one aspect, but everything food, architecture, history, etc. I loved the variety. It was also a good way to acclimate to the language before the more rigorous academic program in Paris.
Summer 2015 Participant
The tour portion was great. My favorite parts were the weekends when we were able to explore the city of Paris on our own.
Aubrie Rae Wauhob,
Summer 2016 Participant
My favorite part about this program was getting to experience France with my fellow Jayhawks. We started off mostly as strangers and by the end of the program I had made many new friends.
Summer 2017 Participant
I love spending a month in Paris. I was able to see so much and do so many things and truly be able to immerse myself into the Parisien lifestyle and culture.
Summer 2017 Participant
My favorite part was the tour portion. We were able to truly experience the whole of France and interact with French people all over the northern France.
Summer 2017 Participant
My favorite part of the program was getting to experience new cultures that was not my own. I remember that coming back to the States after being abroad, it would always feel so weird to me hearing people speak in English around me. That was one of my favorite parts, hearing all the new languages.
Andrea B Guidry,
Summer 2018 Participant
My favorite part of the program was the weekend excursions to different parts of France! Although I loved Paris, it was cool to see other parts of France too!
Sophia Margaret Moreau,
Summer 2018 Participant
I loved living with a host family because it helped my language skills to develop, I learned about the French culture and cuisine, and made lifelong friends.
Summer 2019 Participant
I adored nearly every part of this program! My favorite part was the cultural experiences I got to have. Getting to watch the fireworks show at the Eiffel Tower for Bastille Day was a dream come true! I noticed my language skills heavily improved while I was on the trip as well.
Summer 2019 Participant
I enjoyed my host mother immensely. She was a French-Moroccan women who loved hosted students and helping them with their French. She would tell the most amazing stories and she helped me improve my French more than I imagined!
Summer 2019 Participant
This program allowed me the independence to really explore french culture how I saw fit. It was a program that really is what you make out of it, you have a lot of free time and with that you have to use it wisely. In my free time I explored aspects and areas of Paris that were very interesting and new to me, which was the best part of the trip. You do not realize the learning that is happening until you get back and can acknowledge the amount of knowledge you soaked in during your short time abroad.
Phoenix T Nghiem,
Summer 2019 Participant
My favorite part was being able to live like a Parisienne for a whole month. I got to know the culture and daily routine so well and i felt completely immersed into the French culture. Not only that, but I loved the professor I had and she made me feel very at home and comfortable learning so many new things.
Summer 2019 Participant
For myself, my favorite part of the program was being able to see the history of France that I studied in the classroom in person. Then being able to speak the language and understand the importance of each monument.
Summer 2012 Participant
I found the ability to converse in French at the end of the program extremely rewarding.
Melissa Christine Corder,
Summer 2012 Participant
The most rewarding element of this program was the opportunity to experience the culture and to speak with the locals in French.
Summer 2012 Participant
Because we were forced to use the language so much, my French improved exponentially. I was incredibly satisfied with my progress by the end of five weeks.
Summer 2012 Participant
Being able to experience the history of France. Whether that was looking at the buildings or going to museums. History surrounded the city! It was awesome! I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to live in such a historic place for one month!
Selena Sutmiller,
Summer 2012 Participant
I think that the things I learned within the French language and culture are things I would have never learned in a classroom. They will definitely come in handy in the future!
Summer 2013 Participant
It was great being immersed in the French language. There's really no better way to learn a language that to be forced to speak it. That doesn't sound very positive, but we all learned much faster and it was fun at the same time.
Summer 2014 Participant
I really enjoyed being able to speak french to people everyday. I needed to speak french to get by, and it allowed my speaking ability to improve tremendously from the beginning of the trip.
Madeline J Nave,
Summer 2014 Participant
Four hours of French each weekday sounded like a lot at first, but because of that I learned so much. The fact that I'm almost fluent is the most rewarding part of this trip.
Olivia Cooper,
Summer 2015 Participant
I enjoyed the work in the classroom and the activities that we did as a group. We had a really interesting and exotic mix of personalities in the Paris 2015 group. But I think the moments in between, when I could trek around the city on my own and really get into it myself--the things that I discovered during those times made the biggest impression on me.
Summer 2015 Participant
I found the tour before the 4 weeks in France very rewarding because it allowed me to experience the overall culture of France and to see more of France's history.
Elizabeth P Orr,
Summer 2015 Participant
This program helped me to develop my French language skills and to understand French culture on a deeper level by being completely immersed in speaking the language and living with a French family.
Summer 2015 Participant
The time spent in the classroom was rewarding. Seeing the museums and historic sites were also great. The time spent outside of class interacting with the French people on the street in restaurants, parks, museums, etc. was the most rewarding.
Aubrie Rae Wauhob,
Summer 2016 Participant
What I found most rewarding was that I was able to grow in the ability to use my own abilities. While being a foreign country, experiencing a foreign culture and language you really have to rely on yourself and your skills. Before the program I wasn't aware of my abilities, as they never had to be put to the test like they did while traveling and living in Paris. Coming out of the program I feel much more confident in myself and more adventurous.
Summer 2017 Participant
I found how much I was able to learn inside AND outside of the classroom to be most rewarding. It was great to be able to see the monuments. sites, and buildings during the program and now just have them be pictures in the pages of a text book or on a powerpoint.
Summer 2017 Participant
The most rewarding part of the program was the language classes in Paris. These classes pushed me beyond my comfort zone and I learned so much from my wonderful teacher and my classmates.
Summer 2019 Participant
The three most rewarding parts of the program were the weekly written journals, class at Ecole Etoile, and the stay with my host family. The journals helped to improve my written French and were a good way to gauge my progress; I noticed the further into the program I got, the easier it was to write them! My teacher at school was Parisian, so having her help us improve our French was more helpful than I could have ever dreamed. The host family stay helped with conversational French and my host mom helped me find areas of my pronunciation I could improve on!
Hannah Elizabeth Arst,
Summer 2012 Participant
I learned to not worry so much. I would encourage future students to realize you are not alone, and everyone is nervous, but go into with an open mind and everything will be okay.
Summer 2012 Participant
Learning the language is all about the effort you put forth to speak, not necessarily the quality of your French, so don't ever be afraid to try to speak the language. You will make mistakes, and that's okay. Also, dress for a much cooler climate. I brought mostly summer clothes and didn't wear any of them. A good jacket and boots/shoes for the rain are essential.
Summer 2012 Participant
I learned a lot about the french culture through this trip. The language, the dialect, the food, the social customs, and the french way of life! It was awesome! However, school was a fair amount of work. Definetely more than I expected but worth it in the end!
Selena Sutmiller,
Summer 2012 Participant
Go with an open mind and know that it is not a vacation. There is a lot of work but it is all very rewarding in the end. Be prepared for rain and cooler weather.
Summer 2012 Participant
BE ADVENTUROUS. Don't be afraid to try something new just because it strays from the norm. Those experiences have a tendency to be the most gratifying.
Summer 2015 Participant
I learned to be very patient. Waiting in lines, sitting in restaurants, and traveling for extended periods teaches you to be more patient with yourself and others. While the academic portion is the most important, you need to leave time to experience the city and the culture outside of required activities. I found the things I did with friends on the nights and weekends were much more exciting and rewarding than the mandatory museum visits and walks. I also learned not to be afraid.
Aubrie Rae Wauhob,
Summer 2016 Participant
What I learned that would be helpful to future students is that when you're debating on studying abroad, just do it! If you're unsure, just apply. Studying abroad will be one of the most amazing experiences you will have in your college career....besides the day you found out you were officially going to become a Jayhawk.
Summer 2017 Participant
The language skills were a great supplement to my KU French classes. Furthermore, the cultural experiences I had are only available in France, and they are invaluable.