CIS Abroad Semester Programs in France

I spent my Fall 2017 semester in Aix-en-Provence, France where I took 4 classes and had a 1-credit internship. The professors were amazing and the internship coordinator was so helpful. I learned more than I thought possible and have so much more experience to take with me as I enter the workforce soon. Studying abroad was the best experience of my life! Even though it has been almost a full year since my semester abroad ended, I am still reaping the benefits of my program. I made memories and learned things that will always be a part of my life. Institute for American Universities (IAU) was so professional and welcoming. I would go back in a heartbeat. My host mom was the best and we still communicate over email to this day. I made friends with people from around the world that will always be a part of my life. I am so thankful to CISabroad and IAU for my excellent semester in France!

Every town has a nickname: the City of Lights, the City that Never Sleeps, the Eternal City. Well Aix-en-Provence is the City of Water, the City of a Thousand Fountains. On every street there is a new fountain, and with every new fountain there is a new story. The fountain in la place de Marie, where I sat and watched families take pictures before their weddings, the fountain on Cours Mirabeau, that sparkled with lights as I perused the Christmas market, the fountain by my favorite boulangerie, the fountain that pointed me to my way home, and a thousand more. Each fountain holds a memory of my time in Aix, as they do for thousands of other students, travelers, and citizens. The City of a Thousand Fountains will forever be a special city for me, and I will always treasure every fountain.

IAU College has a fantastic staff; the professors are multi-lingual and want their students to make the most of their time abroad. I was in the French Honors Program, which I highly recommend because my language skills and my cultural knowledge blossomed. Even with taking only French courses and with an internship, I never felt overwhelmed by the workload; everything is manageable. My host family was also incredible! I loved connecting with real French people every day.

I had serious issues with CIS Abroad’s predeparture segment. I felt as though our program director I’ll equipped us to properly prepare for the trip and the crucial steps to complete before leaving.

However I did THOROUGHLY enjoy my trip thanks entirely to our on-site director who went above and beyond to find us fun, immersive program excursions and events. He made sure that the trip was as enjoyable and broaden our horizons.

When I was researching study abroad programs and thinking seriously about studying abroad, I knew I wanted to be somewhere in southern France. I had a long checklist of things I wanted in my program like a host family, opportunity for an internship, and classes that would fit my major. CISabroad fulfilled all my wishes and more! They were outstanding.

As my departure date from home drew closer, I started to get nervous about the whole thing. Would I find friends? Would I spend way more money than I could afford? Would my host mom like me? But CISabroad had a tool to help with each of these worries. Upon arrival in France, I immediately met other CIS student who would be with me in Aix. CIS provided a sample budget to help me build my own. The CIS liaison at my school was so nice and was committed to getting to know me and making me feel at home. She even offered advice on how to make the most out of a home stay (my home stay was the best!).

In summary, go with CISabroad. They know what they’re doing!

I absolutely loved my time in Aix. It's a perfect little city that has remained so authentically French. The streets and fountains in town are so picturesque and the streets are alive with culture and fun. IAU was an amazing host university. They offered us opportunities to meet other students, both American and French.
The range of courses at IAU was great because there was such diversity in the areas of study it atteacted. I lived with an art major, was best friends with an international politics major and was a French education major myself.
If you're enrolling in this program, absolutely take the introduction to wine course. It's only one night per week and class is so much fun. You'll sample different wines and learn to properly taste them. You'll also have the chance to tour different vinyards in Southern France (and of course taste more wine there!)
Everything about my experience from living in Aix to classes at IAU was spectacular. I would go again in a heartbeat and often find myself reminiscing about my time in Aix.

I loved this program! The internship coordinator at my school in Aix was so helpful and made sure I was placed in a good environment that would help me grow. My host family was awesome and I learned so much from that experience. I made friends for life--American, French, and more! My life has been impacted for the better and I have grown immeasurably as a person. It was truly an unforgettable semester.

Hello,
My experience abroad was amazing. It was my first time being in Europe and since I can remember Paris has always been my dream. It was an undesirable feeling knowing I was accomplishing a dream of mine. The program did a fantastic job making sure we not only felt safe but were safe. The excursions we did as a group was awesome as well. Not many people get the opportunity to go abroad let alone in Paris, France. History is my favorite subject and what better place to see amazing artifacts than here. I gained a new appreciation and love for the history and art of Paris. Everyday was an amazing day.
I think future participants would want to know about the safety abroad which CISabroad did an awesome job doing. We were recommended websites to sign up for to get updates everyday about the activity around us. CISabroad also sent texts making sure we were okay. You also have a webinar to go through that provides additional information. They also should do research on their own or ask their advisors questions about anything they aren't aware of.
This impacted my post-program tremendously. I applied for an Alumni Ambassador position through CISabroad and was nominated for it which I am super excited about. Also, studying abroad made me want to overseas again which I plan on doing next summer. I want to help and encourage others to go abroad.
Some tips would be to get your banking cards situated before going overseas. I unfortunately had issues with that the first week of being abroad. My favorite memory would have to be going to the Versailles Palace. I visited there two or three times because I loved it so much. Such beautiful architecture and history. Also at Versailles, you can go to the garden behind the palace and go canoeing for cheap. That was a wonderful experience.