International Policy & Diplomacy Study Abroad Programs in France

APA Paris is a wonderful program. I felt supported and challenged in all the right ways. From start to finish, I was surrounded by some of the kindest and most patient program coordinators who helped me seamlessly navigate life in a foreign country. The academics offered by the program are engaging and well-tailored to multiple levels in French, and the cultural events and excursions were some of my fondest memories here in Paris. The group of students the program attracted were some of the loveliest people to have spent a semester in Paris with, and the program did an excellent job facilitating a welcoming environment for us to bond. While I felt fully independent and immersed in French culture, the APA office was always there, offering support and a strong community. I could not have asked for a better study abroad experience. Merci APA!

I had an amazing time with APA! The program is run by a kind, considerate and detail-oriented program that emphasizes cultural immersion. We had multiple cultural events that were included with the program including concerts, tastings, as well as overnight stays in French regions. I also opted to stay in a homestay which was a wonderful experience; I really clicked with my host mom and lived in a beautiful Parisian apartment. My French has improved greatly thanks to tutoring and language offerings and I fell in love with Paris. I highly recommend APA to anyone wanting to study abroad in Paris!

I loved my semester with APA. My French has improved tremendously! The teachers, advisor, and administrative support is amazing. I loved that we had the opportunity to take classes with multiple universities based on our interests and the courses at APA are also very well taught. The cultural program is unlike any other, and it gave me a great opportunity to have experiences I never would have had otherwise! I highly recommend this programme!

I had such a blast and I was especially impressed with the extra curricular offerings of APA in comparison with other study abroad programs my friends were doing at the same time! 😁❤️🥳🥐🗼🏠😊🫂🍫🌿

Academic Programs Abroad was definitely the way to go! The level of immersion and cultural offerings that you get are unlike any other, and everything is well organized—yet still personalized, to feel responsive. I highly recommend this program to someone that wants to immerse themselves in the city and have a good time with others.

I felt fully immersed in French culture from the moment I arrived. I believe that the combination of attending a Parisian university and living in an apartment building with other Francophone young adults really helped me feel like I was having a true Parisian experience. I felt supported by the program, but I also had a lot of freedom to live my life independently as much as I liked. I think that the best part for me was my living situation, just because it introduced me to all my closest friends and forced me to speak French frequently. I think I felt like I integrated well into French culture and life without staying within the confines of being an American on an exchange.

When I arrived to Paris, I had forgotten a lot of my french. Because I was forced to constantly hear and speak french, I really was able to improve my skill and now I am able to understand majority of what is said in french and be able to speak in a conversation.

The academics were a little difficult because everything was in French but that is to be expected. APA was amazing and provided such great support. My advisor was amazing and I met such good friends here.

APA gave me the cultural immersion I needed to really improve my French. I thoroughly enjoyed my classes and the APA administration was so helpful and supportive. The cultural program was great as well. You get to see all sorts of performances and engage in french culture

the environment was really fun, lots of free time. i am happy that i chose to participate in this program. regarding the staff, i love the energy and positivity they were giving us all the time. the hotels were pretty great and the locations were amazing. I totally recommend this program, for the professional visits; i really learnt a lot, and the cultural visits; didnt feel a chore at all!, things that you need to visit and do when you visit Europe. I am really thankful to be going with such a group, they will be my all time friends!

I was part of the Fall 2024 APA:FMS program and my experience served as a pivotal point in my academic and personal life. So much so that I joined my colleges's study abroad advising team to urge students to not only go abroad but to go abroad with APA. My review will be divided into multiple parts, ranging from the program's structure to its impact, as I look back a year later. When I approached planing to study abroad my focus was on the country(ies) that I wanted to live and study in, I did not realize how much the program I selected would influence my experience. I was lucky to be recommended APA by a friend, but I think it should be public knowledge how much of a gem APA's structure is for anyone looking to study in a francophone country. The program's mission is immersion, so there is a great emphasis and effort put towards ensuring that students experience the country as a local would. This means the team of the program is greatly involved in helping the students navigate and integrate into local life. for example, I remember the program arranged for all students to arrive at the same time so that the director of the program could pick us up and welcome us to France. Another example of how APA go about immersion is excursions. APA value academic exposure as much as cultural exposure. Meaning, while in another program I would have to plan weekend-trip, and research on my own activities to do, APA already arranged. At the beginning of the program students receive both an academic and excursion calendar. Meaning Upon arrival I had a calendar packed with plays, concerts, wine tasting, cheese tasting. museums visit, and weekend getaway to different parts of the countries already planned and organized for me to attend. to go back to the involvement of the team, I remember how the founder of the program would sometimes join the cohort to attend concerts, we had mental-health workshops, and students were invited to have coffee chats with the founded of the program. Going abroad can seem daunting, but APA has such a diverse team and they are so involved, I not only felt supported but I felt like I joined a family. APA-FMS: APA-FMS is the acronym for the multi-country study abroad program I did with APA where during one semester I lived in studied in 3 countries! whenever it is proposed to students to go abroad it's often a semester in 1 country, so I was totally captivated by the idea that within one semester I could study in three countries across two continents with very different culture(France;Morocco;Senegal). It was the best decision I could have made. Aside from immigrating to the united states as a child I had never travelled, so the program was appealing for me in the sense that it would afford me the chance to travel and get to know the countries from a local perspective. AS part of the program students will stay in each country for 5-8 weeks, and take classes that will be taught across the historical context of three countries. YES, your institution will accept the credit for the FMS classes, I go to harvard and they counted the APA:FMS classes as elective credit, but I know other institutions will count the classes towards your major requirements. The FMS program requires that all students live in homestays, meaning with host family. I was little apprehensive about the concept but it turned out to be one of the best parts of the program. first the "host family" structure looks difference for everyone, while I stayed with a family of 6 with children, someone in the program lived with an elderly grandmother living alone, another a young filmmaker. The families we lived in depended on our preferences and requests. Staying with host families helped with my homesickness as I had a support system to whom I went home to every day abroad. In France, as a Christian, I was placed with a Christian family who took me to church on Sundays and nurtured my love for yogurt by teaching me how to make it fresh. In Morocco, my host mom taught me how to bargain and my host sisters helped me discover the beaches. In senegal my host mom taught me how to cook local cuisine, she took me to her favorite hairtylist, and took me to her friend's wedding. However, the beauty of FMS is that it ensured that my experience is one and my own. My friend in the program, who is a film major, was matched with host who is a young filmmaker so while I was making yogurt thursday nights, she was out at different bars in Paris brainstorming ideas for future projects. Additionally APA's mission of immersion carries on across all three countries, meaning in every countries we are taken to art exhibition, concerts, plays, movies, restaurants.APA also organized various week-end getways to different parts of each country. Meaning, while in lived in the capital of all three countries during the program, I am well acquainted to the country side of each country and various cities in each country. Ultimately studying in 3 countries was an amazing experience. APA-FMS taught me how to trust myself as I had to navigate three countries. The multi-country program APA offers is unique as it not only provides provides substantial support and resources for students to live and study in three countries but it helps students built a network of connection that will facilitate returning to these countries. Having done the program I now have the connection 12 professors spanning from France to senegal. One of the professors from the program even wrote my recommendation letter for an internship in Europe. Having done the program I have a network of loved ones across the world as a year later I am still in contact with my host families. Academic: the program has an academic structure where professors are solicited from different universities across the the country and come to the students to teach classes. This means that as part of the FMS program you are not going to be enrolling in a university in each country but rather APA will have professors come teach your cohort at their office space. The great plus of this structure is that the cohorts are not big so you will have the opportunity to get to know your professors who are often renowned for their work in the country. Another benefit of this structure is it facilitates participation, as you are not intimidated by local students but are learning with your friends in the program. My review is overwhelmingly positive, because my experience was overwhelmingly positive. But, while the reality of this program was fun, adventurous, exciting, and beautiful, it was also difficult in some ways. As a french program, immersing yourself in french in the classroom and home can be a challenge and at times tiring when you are not used to speaking french all the time. Therefore I would recommend watching french tiktoks, reading french book, and listening to french music before and throughout the program! I would also recommend doing APA’s pre-program where you go ahead of the program and APA’s teaching staff will help you become acquainted with academic writing in a francophone context. Travelling, living and studying broad in three countries within 4 months can also be mentally and physically taxing(fatigue and mental health). So keeping up with hobbies, families and friends back home, and resting is indispensable.

I decided to study abroad in Paris with APA due to it offering the rare chance to immerse oneself in the French language through the day-to-day operations of the program alongside the option to stay with a host family. I opted to stay with a host family for the entire academic year and it was the best choice I could have made. Aside from greatly improving my French, I also developed deep relationships with my host family that will last forever. At APA, I similarly developed these connections. With it being a small team, you have the unique opportunity to develop personal relationships with the staff who truly know and understand you. Additionally, the program offered endless outings and events to attend, livening up every week with incredible opportunities.

I felt so immersed and so comfortable in my scope of exploration, travel and academics so quickly and fondly with the CEA Team at the CEA Paris Center ! With weekly tastings of local cultural foods, beverages and humanities, workshops, community events, there was never a dull moment !

My time in Aix-en-Provence was the best decision I have ever made. I got hands-on experience with the french language and massively improved my skills. The semester abroad was also a great chance for me to be independent and practice the skills needed to live alone.

Engineering in Paris is an incredible opportunity for undergraduate students around the world to complete several of their engineering requirements while being able to experience an amazingly rich and diverse culture. Academically CEA CAPA provided great teachers who were passionate about their subjects and understanding of the unique circumstances that students were placed in. They taught the course material well, formed connections with us, and encouraged us to explore and travel while we had this opportunity. The CEA CAPA staff were very helpful as we started to gain our bearings in Paris and organized many activities and excursions to immerse us into the culture. Paris itself is an absolutely beautiful city that has a plethora of options for nightlife, food, drink, shopping, museums, historical sites, and natural beauty. The public transportation system in Paris is very accessible and serves as an easy way to travel around the city, however, I encourage walking as much as possible because it is the only way to truly embrace all of the natural beauty and sites of the city. Furthermore, Paris is a very centrally located city in Europe and allows easy and relatively inexpensive travel opportunities to most other countries in Europe.

I studied with CEA CAPA over the 22-23 school year and had a great time! I love the flexibility of their programs- I was able to get a lot of experience with the French language, and didn't feel that I had any huge advantages or disadvantages compared to those who chose to study in English. They offered great cultural activities and excursions for all interests as well.

I studied abroad with CEA CAPA in the Summer of 2023 in Paris, France. In my 6 weeks spent abroad, I was very pleased with what CEA CAPA had to offer. In terms of housing, the apartment was about what you would expect to receive at any university, and the kitchen was very small, though that was okay because I was able to spend most of my meals out, really getting the full French cuisine experience. The engineering class that I took was difficult, as is any, but the small class size made it easy to collaborate with others and to really delve into the knowledge. The sports & culture class that I took was fun and engaging, and really offered exploration of parts of the city I never would've ventured to on my own. CEA CAPA offered many opportunities to see parts of the city, starting with the initial boat ride along the River Seine, where I had my first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower, and ending with a ticket to a football match at the Stade du France, where we got to see a very exciting win! These are some things I never would have thought to do, but CEA CAPA made it all possible.

Studying abroad with CEA pushed me academically and personally to go outside my comfort zone and grasp every opportunity that came my way. Thanks to the support of the CEA Paris Center staff, I was able to apply for jobs within the city, learn about the best places to hang out (such as some awesome language exchange cafes), and accomplish seeing everything I set out to and then some. The team worked diligently to provide us with enriching cultural experiences, taking us to the opera and a football match, hosting cheese tastings, and leading trips to different parts of the country. I am thankful I experienced all that I did with CEA, because CEA is more than just a company, it is a community. I will always cherish the memories I got to make with the CEA team and my fellow students.

CEA responded to this reviewMarch 24, 2020

Thank you so much for your review, Anna! We are so glad to hear you had a wonderful time with CEA in Paris, and took advantage that all the city has to offer. “CEA is more than just a company, it is a community” is music to our ears. We hope you’ll stop by and say “bonjour” the next time you find yourself in France, and we wish you all the best in your future endeavors!

Living in Paris has given me not only the opportunity to live in my favorite city in the world, providing me with new reasons why I love it each day, but it also gave me the opportunity to get to travel to other incredible cities, that essentially left me even more aware of the reasons why Paris will forever be home to me, and why nothing felt better than the peace that filled my heart each time my budget airline flight hit the tarmac at Orly or Charles de Gaulle airport. During my time in Paris, I was consistently pushed out of my comfort zone, in which I quite literally dove into the world of French language and culture. My ultimate goal during my semester was to improve my French and reach near-fluency level, as well as truly see if I have what it takes to live in a big European city with a national language that was not native to me. Although these were my destinations, the true beauty and life-changing growth I experienced was found on the twisting turns of the Parisian journey. I have made several French and European friends that were perfect for learning about the French culture and improving my French conversational skills, and it doesn't hurt to add that they are some of the richest and beautiful friendships and relationships I have ever encountered, making the "au revoirs" all the more painful, in which we turned them into "à bientôts" instead. While learning about the incredible aspects of French culture such as the rhetorical strategies behind the French's love for arguing, the importance of meals and café culture to the overall well-being and philosophical state of French society, I ended up learning so much about myself. I have learned so much about my dreams and values, and what makes up who I am. And after this life-changing time in Paris, I have realized that I owe so much of who I am becoming to this city. I have learned that no matter how far across the world you may be, if you are with the right people, anywhere can feel like home, and I learned that I could not be more in love with Paris. Nothing will ever compare to the growth, confidence, hunger to learn, and utter joy that this city and Parisians have brought to me.

CEA responded to this reviewJanuary 30, 2020

Thank you for your thoughtful and thorough review, Lauren! “Nothing will ever compare to the growth, confidence, hunger to learn, and utter joy that this city and Parisians have brought to me” is truly music to our ears. Your words echo the same sentiments of so many other CEA Paris alumni, and your detailed review will serve as a guide to future students when researching their own study abroad programs. Be sure to stop by and say hello the next time you’re in France, and we wish you all the best in your future endeavors!

Studying abroad in Southern France this past summer was by far the best experience of my life! Though I was there for 6 weeks, I knew that time would go by quickly and I would need to take in every second of it. I visited museums, historical sites, and signed up for anything that I could that would help me to experience the local culture. Studying abroad with CEA in particular was great because they made transitioning so effortless. When you get there, they discuss rules, places you should visit, how to get around, what to expect while you are abroad, and much more. Our on cite-specialists truly did become our parents for the 6 weeks we were there and the people I studied abroad with were my new family. Overall, I can confidently say that studying abroad has helped to grow my cultural footprint, and has made me a more open and healthy well-rounded individual. In those 6 weeks, I was able to interact and work with people from other countries, understand the layers and intricacy of global issues, and have greater intercultural learning. I believe that those are things that are learned through practice and experience. Because of how meaningful my experience abroad was, I am currently working towards moving and starting a career in France.

CEA responded to this reviewJanuary 07, 2020

Thank you for your review, Rohanna! We are so glad to hear you had a wonderful semester with CEA in Aix. “Studying abroad has helped to grow my cultural footprint” is music to our ears. We hope you’ll stop by and say “bonjour” the next time you find yourself in France (perhaps on your career path there!), and we wish you all the best in your future endeavors!