lrice

Hi all,

After all of the U.S. university study abroad programs were cancelled last year, my daughter is hoping to go this fall instead. One of the options that UCLA offers is SciencesPo Reims. My other daughter attended SciencesPo Paris so we are familiar with that program but I'd like to get this community's opinion of Reims for an American 21 year old.

This particular daughter isn't really a "city" girl. She loves to hike, go to the beach and mountains in her spare time. She runs, enjoys parks and gardens; not really a museum person. She was actually hoping to go to the University of Sydney in the fall but the semester starts in early July and we are worried it will cancel. Queensland University there already cancelled for Fall 2021. We are hoping the European countries and programs, which start in September, may have a shot of staying open for the kids.

Anyway, I'd love to hear about Reims and if you think it would make for a good study abroad experience.

Thanks in advance!

Jean

I've only spent a few days in Reims as a tourist, seeing the sights, sampling the champagne, etc., so I'm not sure how useful my view is... But I liked Reims. It's not too big or busy, has a LOT of history from the Romans through both world wars and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are forested areas nearby but not what I would call "mountains." Your daughter should probably look for comments from students who have studied there as they would be more helpful than comments from tourists.

Michael

Grenoble and Besançon are closer to mountains.

bilboburgler

I'm 60 so probably not the right person to answer except in normal times I tend to holiday in the area Reims down to Alsace and up to the Mosel. While the centre of Reims is nice enough it never feels say as lively as say Strasbourg which has a good university. Still the town to the north of the medievel centre is nice enough with reasonably clean burbs, and to the south there is the canal/river system which limits its expansion. As above I'd try and find a student that has been recently and find out how insular the local student population is.

The Montagne de Reims, is a hill which a fit fjell runner would trot up in 30 minutes, the top is wooded and full of wanderers and wild boar. It is a lovely place but not a mountain. You need to head towards the Vosges and the range to its west to get to any more sizeable mountains, these still not that big but most of the time empty except for locals. France has some great long distance yomps (well marked) and open to all.

Macross

I liked it there and the train will take her to many places.

kerouac

Reims is a relatively quiet city but it has good access to nature and is only 45 minutes from Paris by TGV.

This should be of interest: Study in Reims (univ-reims.fr)

lavandula

Hi, I am in the university world in Australia - sorry to hear your daughter won't be coming to Sydney. I think the issue is not necessarily that universities are not going forward with their teaching programs although in some instances they may cancel if they cater only to international students, but more that there is a ban on international travel and we have only a few international students, those who were lucky enough to come in before the borders closed. There is only a very thin stream of people coming in but we also have thousands of expatriate Australians overseas who have not been able to return and have been trying. There has been discussion of a cap on people entering by plane, and we have already lost an airline (Emirates) due to objection to the cap. I hope your daughter finds somewhere nice to study, Reims is a nice city and I would think a very nice alternative to Sydney.

Lavandula

lrice

Thanks all!

lavandula The University of Sydney program is actually taking applications for the Fall Semester which starts in early July. Perhaps the U.S. and Sydney are hopeful that the world will be more normal by then. But with the University of Sydney starting their semester so early, I worry it will cancel and my daughter will be left with no options. She is going to meet with the Study Abroad Office and try to get more information.

Meanwhile, she also is looking at Florence, Copenhagen, Barcelona and Siracusa.

Sassafrass

IMHO, Florence is perfect for an art loving, museum going person. There are gardens and places to hike, but Florence can seem busy and crowded, so probably not the best fit for your daughter.
Even though it is a bigger city, it does not feel as crowded in general and does have a beach and mountains within reach, so Barcelona might be of more interest to her.

kerouac

I think that some people have failed to undrstand that American universities have deals with some other establishments but not with all of them. So suggesting your favorites is not really useful because not everybody is as rich as you are and can afford to go anywhere according to their whims.

Jean

"I worry it will cancel and my daughter will be left with no options."

I think you have to assume that any program might cancel in 2021. If you could accurately predict the Covid situation in a particular place 6 months from now, you could make a lot of money!

margo_oz

I doubt there will be any incoming travel to Australia, except returning Australians, in 2021. We've been told not to expect to travel until the end of 2021.

f she can guarantee acceptance at some other place, then go for it. Sadly, I don't think Sydney (or Brisbane) is a go.

I liked Reims but it didn't appear to be an overly lively town. Perhaps I missed something. Good train access, though.

lrice

She is leaning toward Florence! I’m so excited for her!

bilboburgler

leaning towards Florence.... now if that had been Pisa....

TDudette

Very cute, bilboburgler!