Alexa

I'm a sophomore in college, and I will be spending the fall studying in France. I'm having a difficult time deciding what city to study in - my choices are Paris, Nantes and Strasbourg. The program in Nantes sounds the best to me, but I am concerned that a whole semester in the Loire Valley would be a bit boring. Any suggestions/opinions? My main goals: to become fluent in French and to have a good time.

Sue

My daughter spent her junior year from Penn State U. in Strasbourg and had a wonderful time. She became fluent in French and made lots of friends among the other international students there, as well as the French. I'll see if she'll write to you and give you some details.<BR>I, myself, spent 2 wks in Tours studying French; I think once you have seen the chateaux, the Loire valley doesn't have as much to offer as the Strasbourg area, with its quaint villages, etc. Of course, the Loire valley is only about 2 hrs. away from Paris by TGV. Just my thoughts on the subject! I'm sure you will have a rewarding time, wherever you go.

clairobscur

Nantes is a pleasant town, quite lively, and has a large population of students. So, I don't think it's really a boring place.

pam

Omigod! Go to Paris...My guess is that in ten years you won't be able to discern the difference in the instruction you received in Loire vis a vis the City, but I bet you'll never forget what it was like to live in Paris for 5 months. They all have something to offer, but if I were you, I would not miss the opportunity to live in Paris with the built-in support system of an abroad program. My 3 cents...Have a fantastic time!

Amy

I spent a year in Strasbourg thru Penn State and loved it. I would highly recommend a city other than Paris because EVERYONE wants to speak English to you in Paris. It's harder to learn French. I've heard this from people who spent a year in Paris, as well. I visited Paris enough during my stay and got to do everything there that I wanted to do. While I love Paris, I knew it wouldn't be the best place to learn French. I really loved Strasbourg. It's small, very easy to get around without a car, and nice people. And it's very centrally located to tour Europe. Paris is only a couple hours from Strasbourg by train so it's easy for weekend trips. Good luck with your decision!

anna

I would recommend Strasbourg, too. It's very international (European parliament), very accessible, and easy to manage size-wise. As a student, I would imagine that it's easier to meet other students than in the huge Parisian university system. As to Nantes, all I can say is that I had a boyfriend who hated his year abroad there; too isolated,, French students only studying hard fo their tests and not very sociable. However, that might be different with your specific program.

Vincent

Paradoxically, Strasbourg might a bit too cosmopolitan AND provincial: remember it is the seat of the European Parliament, and you will be more likely to find English speakers there than in Paris (all these Brits, Irish, Scandinavians, etc. ). Otherwise it is a nice city, a bit too quaint for me though, but that's personal. Basically, the choice boils down to whether you want to be in a real metropolis, or a large, but provincial, regional capital (it also depends on where you live in the States, and how "urban" you want to be).

navyflyer

All those places are nice. I studied in Paris as an exchange student while I was at the Naval Academy via the Universite de Paris. I lived in the Cite Universitaire (14th Arr.) I had the time of my life and I would give anything to re live those days. My French improved so much that I am almost fluent. I met a lot of people there. Since I have a bent towards history, I seemed to find a new revelation everyday as I walked the streets of Paris. Good Luck

AnnaC

Having spent a year studying in Nantes, I'd say go to Paris or Strasbourg. Not that Nantes is not a nice town, but there is a lot less to do there than Paris and (I believe, although I've never been there) Strasbourg.<BR><BR>Nantes, despite being on the Loire, isn't really in the Loire valley - it's too near the mouth of the river. There is a big port and the river is not pretty like, say, the Seine in Paris - it's very much a working river. If you have/hire a car, it is easy to access the surrounding area, though, and that includes Brittany. If you were going in the summer, I'd say it would be worth going to Nantes, as Brittany in summer is lovely, but the fall is not such a good time to be there.<BR><BR>With Paris, though, do check where the university is. While I was in Nantes, some friends were at Paris XI and they found it was just too far out of Paris - it was stuck right out in the suburbs. Paris will also prove more difficult for practising your French, as I've always found (like Amy, above) that, despite my fluent French, people in Paris insist on speaking English to me!<BR><BR>Wherever you go, I'm sure you'll have a great time. I did find the students very reserved - they had a lot of studying to do (I didn't have to do the full hours) and usually went home at the weekend, so didn't have much spare time to go out and make friends. However, with a bit of effort on my part, I did make some very friendly acquaintances, if not any lasting friendships. <BR><BR>

ilene

I thought I'd add my two cents here. When I was a junior in college I wanted to learn Italian and faced a similar decision between Rome and other smaller cities in Italy. I chose Rome and had a wonderful time. I'm sure you will have a fabulous time where ever you go, however, it is nice to be in a larger city since unlike being a tourist for a week or a few days, you will be living in this place for 4 months. If you are a city person and like being in a large city, I am sure you will feel the same way once you get to France. If you go to a small school in the country somewhere, you might be happier in Nantes and Strasbourg. I suppose it all depends on what you consider "fun". With all that said, I would pick Paris. So much to do there, so many people, etc. You will certainly use your French in Paris. When you are living somewhere you will have a normal routine that will put you into contact with "regular" people (e.g. going to the market, the cleaners, etc.). These are not the same people who work at the Eiffel Tower or in a hotel who expect you to want them to speak English to you. Like my experience in Rome, if you speak french to someone and especially if you say that you are living in Paris, the person will respond in French. BTW: I would also give anything to go back to my semester in Rome. If you really want to learn the language, find yourself a french boyfriend!

Mariarosa

Hi Alexa! I studied abroad in Paris during the spring semester of my junior year. It was one of the best experiences of my life.<BR><BR>You have gotten sound advice so far. If your main goal for studying abroad is to practice your French and speak absolutely no English, go with the smallest town. It's true that in Paris, many young Parisians wanted to practice their English with us. However, I practiced my French everyday in my classes and with the woman I lived with (she only spoke French). <BR><BR>If you have a choice, it's much better to live with a family as opposed to living in an apartmenthousing with other American students. You will get more of a full French experience and practice more French.<BR><BR>Paris was wonderful. One of the classes I took was a theatre class and we went to see 6 plays. Another class was an anthropology and film class and we would watch movies from different cultures and discuss them. My friend took an Art History class and they would always go to different museums.<BR><BR>We never ran out of things to do. We would go to museums after our classes, or window-shopping, or strolling or just hang out in cafes, etc. We took classes in several universities, including Paris VII - the ugliest building in the Latin Quarter and the center of a famous student uprising.<BR><BR>One of the best things about studying in Paris was how easy it was to leave for the weekend to other places(my classes were Tuesday-Thursday). We went on weekend trips to Brugges, Rouen, Madrid and Budapest, to name a few. If you base yourself on a small town, you will have to make more connections.<BR><BR>Feel free to ask any more questions.

Ilene

Alexa,<BR><BR>I would highly recommend Paris. I studied in Paris for my junior year in college and have spent much time there since, as well as all over France. I lived in Tours, in the Loire Valley for 3 months, and although beautiful and culturally rich, I found the endless things to do and see in Paris more exciting and rewarding. I likewise lived in Strasbourg for a few months and feel the same.<BR><BR>Paris is a city filled with wonder - there is so much history, so much art, so much culture. Contrary to what one of the other posters before me said, I did not find many people trying to speak English to me in Paris. You must, however, make an effort to communicate first and foremost in French and then you should not have Parisians speaking to you in English.<BR><BR>One thing that I think is most valuable from my time abroad in Paris was my new-found independence. Living in a big city in a foreign country where you are (at first) not fluent in the language is a challenge - but is forces you to find your way around, to seek out things you like to do, to discover something of yourself that you did not know existed before you got there. <BR><BR>I would not trade my time in Paris for time anywhere else. Especially not seeing the Eiffel Tower on the horizon everyday, walking along the Seine watching the lights come up at Notre Dame, or wandering the hills of Montmartre for a view of the City of Light.<BR><BR>

Ken

Ask the study abroad organization for names of students who have been on each of these programs. The former students can tell you the pros and cons of the program and location. <BR><BR>While location is important the courses offered (or internships) and how they fit into your academic and future professional goals are just as important. <BR>

snp

Hi,<BR>My daughter is at the University of Nantes right now. She is staying w/ a french family and she has found her experience to be less than wonderful. That area of France tends to be quite conservative and right wing. We would advise you to really be sure about the Nantes program.We chose it because it seemed the most language intensive, but we should've done more research about the social life. You are smart to be checking around. My daughter would say pick either of the other two.There will still be plenty of french language spoken in both places. Nantes is a lovely city, we loved it when we went to visit. However, it can be a tough place for college kids to be. Good Luck

CJ

PARIS, OF COURSE? Have all of you people who voted for the other cities out of their minds???!!!! Why would you not live in the capital, with everything it has to offer? Plus it is the most beautiful city in the world! I studied at the Sorbonne my junior year away from Berkeley. The professors and the courses were AMAZING. But I was there to soak up the culture and perfect my French, so I hung out with French people, went out nearly every night, and just made sure that I got a passing grade in my classes so that Berkeley would give me the credits I needed. Mission accomplished, and it was one of the best years of my life. Have a great time!

Sue

Re Vincent's comment about there being more speakers of Eng. in Strasbourg than in Paris; I don't think so. The people who are there for Parliament, etc., are not generally the ones students hang out with. French seems to be the "common denominator" that links the many students who come from all over the world to study there. My daughter (Amy, above)was housed in a Fr. "dormitory", or cite, as they call them, and put with a Fr. roommate. She became fluent and still retains friendships with those she met during that year. The German influence makes Str. an especially interesting town, also. The university boasts Goethe as an "alum"!