Abbey Road High School Summer Immersion Program in Nice, France

I just had so much fun and feel like I improved my conversational French. The city is so beautiful and the amount of freedom that we had to explore it was so nice (having classes + electives in the morning and then free time until dinner). I really felt like this program prepared me for independent living, and got me excited to travel and learn. I 100% recommend!! Just bring a fan and really good walking shoes. Also not the best WiFi in the youth hostel… but I wasn’t really on my phone in my free time there anyways so it didn’t matter.

After a depressing Covid year, I wanted my daughter to have an enriching experience to lift her spirits. She was instead surrounded by privileged kids sent from wealthy families who viewed this as a vacation and a chance to meet other wealthy kids. The director even confirmed his frustration that these are the typical kids that come. In a country where the legal drinking age is 16, be aware that they can and likely will engage in drinking and that the staff will take no responsibility for that. Only after I paid my deposit did I receive the documents explaining that drinking was available in this country and it would be up to my student to obey the rule to not drink. The students do not honor that. Three days before her program started, there was a situation with students not just drinking but getting drunk. I wanted to cancel the trip but I had invested so much money! The director assured me they would be very very careful and supervise closely. Instead, there was more drinking, second chances for offenders, and excuses from the director and staff. I’m devastated that I sent my daughter to that environment.

My daughter (15) attended the Abbey Road Nice program in July 2019 and had an amazing experience. It was her first trip to Europe and this was certainly a memorable time. We were very pleased with the program's communication, organization, and program offerings from language instruction to numerous fields trips. I will note, not so much a criticism as simply for others to be aware, that the program does offer a fair amount of free "exploration" time without supervision. My 15 year old certainly gained independence and confidence, though at times I felt she may have been a little too free. The language program seems solid and appropriate, but it is no so strict as in forced total immersion with penalties for speaking english.

We were very pleased with the program. I felt it was great value for what was offered.

In addition to the facilitated instruction, we had many opportunities to interact in the local setting in Nice to talk with shopkeepers, locals, etc. This was my favorite part of the program. Having my own room with own bathroom was very nice also, and staff were all very responsive and helpful. We spent many evenings at the beach, and there were opportunities for water sports, cultural tours and photography and writing electives.

The office staff was very helpful and responsive in making all the arrangements, it felt like they knew me personally. The electives (included in the cost) allow the kids to pick what suits them best. I think most students picked watersports, but a number also did photography, drawing and I picked culture. We got to go to a perfume factory in Monaco, some museums and the theatre in Cannes. I think this allowed us to spend more time doing what we actually had interest in.

Overall, this was a wonderful program to learn about French culture, food, and language. I would not recommend it for hardcore language immersion; this experience was highly cultural and social, and language came second to that. A typical day included waking up and eating breakfast in your dorm or going out to a patisserie with friends, morning French classes, and then an afternoon activity such as a museum, the beach, or going to a nearby town. There was hours of free time afforded each day, usually spent in Old Nice or at the beach. The location of the residence was absolutely perfect; it was in the heart of Nice, just a five-minute walk from the historic Old Nice, ten minutes from a shopping mall, fifteen from the train station, and only one minute to find a pharmacy or multitudes of cafes and eateries to choose from. The residence itself is technically a youth hostel, but each student gets their own room with plenty of space for themselves and their belongings, along with a private bathroom. Some of the rooms were more dated than others, and some were found in cleaner states than others at the time of arrival, but the overall rooms were nice and functional, if not "beautiful". Naturally, since it is Europe, there is no A/C. However, the program is thoughtful enough to appoint each student with a fan, and the mini-fridge in each room has an ice tray. After a few summer days, even as someone from the Northeast United States, the heat becomes manageable. The best part of this program is the weekend excursions to nearby places such as the medieval village St. Paul-de-Vence, or Antibes. Once there, students are given the freedom to roam. As far as food goes, there is a mixture. Breakfast foods were always available in a room down the hall in the residence, but the pickings were slim: one kind of breakfast bar, some fruits, and a cereal or two. The better option was always to get up early with some friends and visit a patisserie/bakery and make it back to the residence by 9:00am, just in time for classes to begin. Lunches were either provided at the residence or students were given 10 euros apiece to go out and get whatever kind of lunch they pleased in Nice. (10 euros never completely covered the cost, but it helped). The food provided at the residence was usually good, but by no means exceptional on a regular basis; however, it is hard to feed a large group of students with varying taste buds. Vegetarian options were always present. Dinner was the same as lunch, either provided or stipends. Additionally, UberEats at the student's expense was always an option for the tired student who didn't fancy the choices provided by the program in the residence hall. Discussing food does bring us to the topic of beverages. If the student chose to do so, acquiring and drinking alcohol was incredibly easy to do on this trip. The legal drinking age is 18, so you didn't have to look terribly old to be served or to purchase alcohol in Nice, and carding was uncommon at best, especially if you knew the right places to look. Hiding drinking habits from the adult supervisors was very simple for those who chose to indulge, and it wasn't really the fault of the adults when it did happen. There wasn't much to be done to prevent it, being that each student was essentially living by themselves, and often going to restaurants in groups of friends. Curfew, however, was strictly enforced with a face-to-face check-in being nonnegotiable, and sneaking out at night was made nearly impossible by the fact that a security guard polices the residence and knows the faces of the students in the program. I never felt unsafe in the residence (or in the city of Nice in general), and many students even took the liberty to hardly ever lock their apartment doors; theft was never an issue, although there were just regular youth also living on other floors of the hostel at the same time. The trip was really what you made it. There is lots of free time to do whatever makes you happiest and explore the city to your heart's content. It is such a beautiful place with a rich history to live and learn, and you must try as much gelato as possible (Fenocchio's in Place Rossetti is my personal favorite)!

I came into this program very unsure of whether I would like the experience or not, but within the first several days I was having the most fun I had in my entire life! This trip has been over the top amazing in all perspectives. I personally am not a fan of learning, as most teens, but Abbey Road truly made it enjoyable for everyone. To add on, the freedom given was so relieving, and the friends I made there will continue to be for the rest of my life. We also got to do so many fun activities, like parasailing, and tubing. The best part of the trip was being able to go explore the city with friends without having an instructor watching over you, because it truly gave me a higher sense of responsibility and freedom. I couldn’t have possibly asked for a better way to spend my summer.

So far I have loved the entire experience! I made friends on the first day and I know hat I’ll be friends with them forever. My favorite part about the program is how much freedom we get in the city. The administration trusts us so much and it really makes me feel independent. Another fun part about the program is the weekends. Every weekend we go to a new place outside of Nice. So far we have gone to Cannes, Monaco, Italy, Antibes, and a couple other places. They give us leniency in foreign cities too which is fantastic. I enjoy the ability to live with other people my age. It is great to know that if I want to hang out with someone there are 30 people right down the hall. I feel like I have grown so much over the duration of this program and would surely do it again!

I have had a lot of fun at this program !! I have also improved my français!! This program has also allowed me to experience independence as well as learn new things about myself. I would highly recommend this program to my friends and family !! This program allows students to experience living in France for a shirt period of time while going on adventures, meeting new people, and improving your French skills !!! I am very satisfied with this program and I am happy that I chose Abbey roads to improve my French skills !! To be able to speak français and spend time in France has always been my dream and I feel like this program is the perfect way to start mon rêve français !! My family and I are very satisfied with Abbey roads and the program has been a lot better than I expected !! Thank you !!