High School Language Immersion Programs in Nice

The Abbey Road Nice Program was the best summer of my life thus far. From the very beginning, my parents were impressed with the responsiveness of Abbey Road and it really helped them have confidence in sending me abroad for five weeks. When I finally left, I felt very comfortable with the staff on the trip and in Nice. The program was led by a longtime local who was very knowledgeable and I believe this helped contribute to the success of the program. Not only was the director very knowledgeable but the teaching staff was also very helpful and fun in our daily lessons. The lessons were always immersive and interactive. While we spent some time on traditional classroom learning, the majority of our instruction was given to us in and around Nice. I loved the staff's devotion to getting us out and about. I had so much fun on all of our excursions to surrounding cities and countries and not only did this better my French, but it also improved my city-navigating skills. There are a few important things to know before you go on the trip. First, you have to be an optimistic and open-minded kid. The weather in Nice is very hot and sunny so if you are someone who is brought down by the sometimes draining weather, either be aware of this beforehand and limit complaints or simply do not go on this trip. Second, if you are looking for a program that is 100% French, all day, everyday, this is not the program. While we spoke a lot of French during the instruction time, the time spent with my friends was mostly in English. I do think my French improved though and I will say that the program will be as good as you make it with regards to the French-speaking part. Third, you have to be very careful with spending on the trip. Abbey Road provides all of the food, but some people did not like the food and decided to go out instead. All I will say is that you have to be vigilant of how much you spend on food and shopping on your trip. I am so grateful for my parents for sending me on this trip and I will never forget all the memories and friends that I made. I am happy to say that my experience with Abbey Road has inspired me to continue my French learning and go on a year abroad in Switzerland next year.

My daughter had a wonderful time with Abbey Road. Pertaining to my ratings: -Housing: I would prefer the kids have roommates vs. singles since the apartment building is publicly-occupied. -Academics - my daughter enjoyed her language class a lot. She thought she'd get more language immersion than she did (e.g., talking to each other during the week at the program). She gained strong language skills though - but mostly by being immersed in the culture during their ample free time. She learned a lot of slang which she liked a lot! -Organization - the staff was *terrific, my daughter loved them. I wish they had communicated better/more with us parents in advance of the trip. I found myself having to reach out several times for basic info like where should my kid meet you when she arrives? -Peers - my daughter met some wonderful kids and is keeping in touch with them! I think she expected more international kids vs. just USA kids, but she was ok with it in the end. -Overall: Know that your kid will have A LOT of independence w/this organization. They go out on the town and out to dinner/lunch alone nearly every day. My daughter loved this and is an experienced traveler and was with her new friends, so it was OK for us, but I can see that not being comfortable for all parents. Also, wondering about the program cost given the amount of eating out they do. I know they get a small (10 euro?) supplement to eat out, but that doesn't cover many restaurants. Thank you Abbey Road - this was a highlight of my daughter's summer.

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 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.

We were given many opportunities to have free time in the area to converse with shopkeepers, locals, etc. It was a great mix of facilitated language learning and discovering on your own. The additional opportunities for water sports, cultural tours and photography were great.

My 16 year old rising junior did the two week program in Nice France in July 2019. We looked at a number of language camps, but he ultimately selected Abbey Road because he liked the housing option best (each student had their own studio apt). While housing was the initial attraction, in the end, he loved the structure of the program which offered solid instruction in the morning as well as a flexible selection of electives (he opted for the conversation elective), meaningful cultural experiences and plenty of free time, too. He didn't know a single person in the group prior to arrival, but ended up making many friends with whom he plans to keep in touch. He had a 24 stomach issue which the counselors took seriously and for which they sought treatment appropriately. Their handling of the situation gave us - sitting all the way across the world in California - confidence in their professionalism and the quality of the care they provide. A number of students opted to extend their stay while there and our son sad that he would have, too, had he not had another camp scheduled to begin shortly after his return. It was his first experience abroad without any family members nor friends accompanying him and, as hoped, he came home with increased confidence in the likelihood of his thriving in college. He learned a significant lesson- that a positive attitude and enthusiastic participation work together to increase satisfaction with the program, the honing of language skills AND the fun factor! I give this program the highest recommendation for educational and enjoyable language skill reinforcement with a side of cultural maturity, to boot! Andrea

My son had the most amazing summer in Nice. He spent 4 weeks there and moved up to advanced French half way through the program. Most importantly he had such a positive experience with the friendships he made, the culture, the cities he visited and it will be a time in his life he will remember forever. Thank you for giving him a wonderful summer!

There is not a better way to make more genuine friendships as well as learn than by studying abroad! I had the time of my like spending one month learning French while immersed in the culture of France in Nice.

I signed up for this trip in January 2019, completely and utterly excited to spend a month of my summer in France. At first, I felt very secluded and anxious, as many people did not make an effort to become friends with me, and if I tried talking to them, they were proceed back to their cliques. Obviously, overtime it got better, and I ended up making some really great friends! Nice is a beautiful city filled with many things to do, and the Staff did a really great job in regards to making my experience worthwhile. They are compassionate, funny, and they enjoy teaching you their language and culture. The excursions and day trips were my favorite part, as we were given a lot of free time to roam the cities and see what we wanted to see, as well as do what we wanted to do. I would definitely recommend this program to others, as my French improved dramatically and living in France is something I will probably never do again. I will remember this experience for the rest of my life, and I am truly grateful for being able to participate in this program.

Overall, I cannot think of anything that I would have made the program any better than it was; everything was really perfect. In the town of Nice, there was so much opportunity to learn. Old Nice was filled with shops and markets, where the venders rarely could speak any English. Near Old Nice, in Garibaldi Square, I made friends with some local skateboarders, who not only gave me an opportunity to learn colloquial and slang French, but also provided some great action photography for my elective course. And when we were not in the town area, my friends and I would go down to the beach, get gelato, do some shopping, or learn some more French with our educators. Every weekend we would take day trips to different towns nearby. From Antibes we could see the Alps, others gave a fantastic view of the French countryside or the Mediterranean. St. Paul de Vence even gave us a view of all three at once! Some trips were to the beach, others to old medieval style towns, and we even took a trip to Italy for a day. The day trips were really fantastic because they let us experience not only our “home” town, but others as well, many of which were actually quite different.

 One of the most amazing things is that everybody got along. From the start, we were all friends, and we got along like one big family. Some people were from US, Canada, and other countries, and we had no problems getting along wonderfully. I was friends with everyone on my trip, and ended up spending my time with all of them at some point or another. It was truly a perfect group of people. My trip with Abbey Road was the best experience of my life. I had so much fun learning and experiencing France first-hand. The teachers were fantastic, the other kids were fun to hang out with and as excited and enthusiastic as I was, and we were in what I now consider the best place on Earth, while experiencing other cities as well. It was the perfect situation, and the people running the program were extremely accommodating, telling us that anything we wanted to do would be seriously considered. And these suggestions often came to fruition, which led to an amazing experience for everyone on the trip. My travel with Abbey Road was perfect, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

I went on this program in the summer of 2018. I would definitely make the same choice if I had to again. I had a really great experience, Nice is a lovely city. I thoroughly enjoyed the amount of free time the students were allowed, it gave me the opportunity to be independent and responsible and spend my time in Nice exactly as I wanted. The food there was spectacular, and the beach is by far one of the best parts of the city. The best part of the program is the weekend trips that are scheduled, some highlights including Monaco, Eze, Antibes, Cannes, and San Remo. I did the four-week option, which was a lot of time away from home, but I am so happy that I chose to spend as much time in France as possible. The staff is supportive and friendly. I loved the facilities, the location of the building is perfect and I loved the privacy of the single rooms and private bathrooms. This trip helped me grow as a person and a French speaker and was overall a life-altering experience.

Claire loved the program in Nice. She has been on quite a few other programs and so have my two sons. By far, she liked this one the best. Each child has his/her own room and private bath. She said it was a good location and they went to the beach a lot. Her classes were engaging and fun. She met a great group of friends on this program as well. They seem to do a good job with supervising the kids and yet giving the kids a feeling of independence. We were all very very happy with this program!

Overall, the Abbey Road Program was a fabulous experience for my daughter. The teachers are great, and Erin signed up for the conversational French in the afternoon because she really wanted to learn french. They have French classes in the morning that everyone takes, and Erin said they did a lot of real life learning, especially in her French conversation class in the afternoon. They would go to the cafes or plaza and have to order and talk to French people, which she said was scary but great for her skills. They also do a lot of day trips every weekend, and she loved those! They went to Monaco and Italy and other places in France since they are all short train rides away. They go to the beach a lot too. She loved the trips to the museums and the Paris extension at the end. I dropped Erin off and the apartments looks like college dorms. The rooms are on a hall like a typical dorm and you walk in and there is a small bathroom and bed and desk, with a small kitchen down the hall, and shutters that look out on a nice street view. Not fancy at all but good for Erin to have some alone time which she values. Erin really liked her teachers and learned a lot -- they had interesting and varied backgrounds -- one from Russia I think, but most if not all native French speakers. Erin had been to sleep away camps before but this was the first year she never once said she was homesick.

My daughter (who is almost 16) did 4 weeks in Nice and described it as “the best summer of my life.” She learned so much, made some good friends (a few of whom she has spent time with here in New York after they returned from France), and loved the teachers and chaperones. Arthur, supervises the Nice program, and he was great. The program is very well organized. They go to so many cool cities, such as St. Tropez, Cannes, Monaco, etc. Her French improved so much, and her teacher at the high school is really impressed by her accent, comprehension, and expression. Each student had their own dorm room and bathroom, and other than the fact that it was very hot, Sophia never had any complaints. I had regular contact w Sophia while she was there, and I always felt she was safe. There are many structured activities (e.g. beach activities, roller-blading, sight-seeing), but they also allowed for unstructured time. They gave the students increasing amounts of freedom, once they feel the kids are ready. So in the evenings they could sometimes go out as a group, without a chaperone, and they would check in at the curfew time, to make sure everyone was back safe. I would highly recommend this program!