API: Experience Paris, France (Scholarships Available)

Both my sons - twins - traveled to Paris in 2019. I followed and stayed at a different hotel in Bercy Village. Having never been to Paris, I, too, wanted to see some of what my sons were experiencing! Several other parents had made the trip and invited me to visit them at their homes in France. Four years later I asked one of my sons what he recalled from his summer at Parsons in Paris. His face aglow, he stated that he remembered the friends he made, the fun they had, and what he learned. He stated that then API team had taken great care of them making sure they were safe, but still allowing them to explore, take the Metro, and learn about Paris on the many excursions they took. One experience we both recalled was as I was on a tour bus driving around Paris, I looked down and saw my sons and their new friends walking down the street. Their faces displayed the joy they felt about being on this fabulous trip and surprise at seeing me gazing down on them from the tour bus. I recalled visiting the Parsons school with its beautiful circular stairway and many well-equipped studios where students created their fashion projects. As a parent, I appreciated the excellent coordination and support with paperwork that API gave me when planning the trip. My sons' summer at Parsons in Paris via API helped them when they were in college and with future jobs as well. The three of us would highly recommend students taking advantage of the wonderful programs and counselors that API has to offer. Merci beaucoup!

I completed an intensive French language program with API having only one semester of college French. Quickly my language skills improved, thanks to this program, my peers, and the faculty. I learned so much in such a short amount of time. It gave me foundational French skills that truly allowed me to excel in the language over the last few years. The classes at Institut Catholique de Paris were hard, but I was so grateful for the challenge. In addition I enjoyed the fact that the classes were mixed with other study abroad programs, namely because it allowed me to meet one of my best friends to this day and several other close friends. In terms of the living accommodations, I really enjoyed living at Cite Universitaire, it was so accessible by train and API provided me with the necessary transit card! There was a communal kitchen there that I used often, helping me save lots of money on food - plus API provided some money for groceries which I was so grateful for. If anything, I wish I had stayed longer - one month flew by! API made sure to take us to nearby cultural locations outside of Paris on weekends and I enjoyed those a lot. Also since I had a European student ID, I was able to visit nearly all museums for free. Truly once in a lifetime experience.

My time in Paris with API Abroad was incredible. It was by no means the most consistently amazing or positive semester of my life – in fact, I found that some moments were particularly tough – but the experience of learning and developing confidence through profoundly moving and varied ups and downs was enlightening enough to more than make up for the lack (and in my eyes, surpass) a semester of only ups. Better yet, the network I had cultivated – the staff at API, the host family I stayed with, and the friends made both and out of the program – were there to support me, always there and always ready to chat.

I don't really know where to begin when I reflect upon my time abroad. As I tell many, deciding to study abroad in Paris wasn't ever distinct, and I can never pin point the exact moment where I turned the thought of studying in Paris into an actual decision. It was sort of this natural progression and current pulling me towards France and the desire to explore and see the world. My experience abroad in Paris was magic. Magic because I never knew it was possible to fall in love with a city as much as I did with Paris. Magic because I came to finding out more about myself in just a mere five months than I ever have in my entire college experience thus far. Magic because I discovered what true contentment is and what it can be like. All because of Paris. Nowadays, I can't think about Paris without getting emotional. So much of myself is wrapped up in that city. I try to recreate my daily route from my apartment to my metro stop…. the corner I would turn onto the busy boulevard, the underpass I would walk under and hope the pigeons wouldn't poop on me, the homeless man who lived in a tent by the underpass, and small corner park where small children would play. And I miss all of it. I miss everything that makes up that daily walk. I write all this because I want to make it known that it wasn't just the grandeur of Paris that made my study abroad experience as incredible as it was. It was the small things, the minute things that made up my daily life while abroad. And I know without a doubt in my mind that I wouldn't have had such a cherished experience if it weren't for API. I can say that API was an extraordinary company with which to go abroad. I have previous experience participating in foreign exchange programs during my teenage years, which has equipped me with both an independence and cultural awareness that allowed me to go into my study abroad experience with little apprehension. Yet, despite this past experience, nothing would have been able to equip me for the life-changing experience of living abroad in a foreign country for an entire semester. But API made it completely possible, and also made me feel so resilient and comfortable living abroad. From the beginning of my application process, my program manager in the US respond to EVERY single question I had, with such attention and thoughtfulness. I was also impressed at how quickly I received responses form my program manager in the US. There were times when I would send an email and receive a response within minutes, which not only made me feel taken care of, but that I also mattered, and my well-being mattered too. Because of how wonderful my program manager was throughout my entire application process, I had completely seamless experience prior to departure. My seamless experience was only furthered upon my arrival in Paris. I came to adore my program directors at the API Paris office. The office became a second home to me, where I was able to go in between classes and eat my lunch, engage with other students, and also speak with my directors. I honestly went to the API office at least 2-3 times a week, if not more. I always felt taken care of with API. No detail was left unnoticed, and because of the recent events that have occurred in Paris with terrorist attacks, I felt that my safety and overall well-being were highly taken into considered and thought after. I honestly cannot praise API enough for all that they provided me and for caring so much. It made my study abroad experience so much more special. I do not think I would have had the amazing experience I had studying abroad if it weren't for API and all that they did to provide such a unique experience for students to study in Paris. So thank you, API, for being so committed to international education and providing your students with an exceptional study abroad experience. Most of all, thanks for helping me find myself in Paris--I don't think I would have been able to do it without you.

I am so glad I found API when I was searching for gap year programs. They are so supportive and helpful throughout the whole process. The staff was happy to answer all my questions and assist me prior to my trip to Paris and the API Paris staff is wonderful! I really appreciate all the measures API takes to make sure each student has a good experience, like the orientation at the beginning of the program and the evaluation(s) of your experience throughout. The API organized excursions are always great and I get to discover things I never would have found on my own, for example the trip to Aix-en-Provence. They also do a great job of making sure my time at my host university goes as smoothly as possible and are able to help me sort out any problems that may come up. Choosing to study in Paris through API's gap year program was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

It was definitely an amazing experience! Everything was great! API staff was really nice. There is nothing to complain about. Everyone had lots of fun exploring around Paris and learning new things everyday. There was people from all around the word, which whom we created long-lasting memories. I recommend this program to everyone!

My two months in Paris over the summer were,not be trite, absolutely magical. I had class every morning, but then I had the afternoon free to explore the city I now called home. Armed with my metro pass and city map from API, I soon become an expert and hopped effortlessly from the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre to the Notre Dame.

I studied with APO in Paris, France. I stayed in a residence dorm, a single so I had a lot of freedom to do as i please and it was in a fantastic location. The program directors were very helpful and advised me in every aspect of the program

I was impressed that they were able to find housing for us in the city proper. Originally I had been hoping to live with a host family but ended up in a reform. I felt like it was hard to find situations where I was the only American in the room. I really had to work for that. I looked up volunteer work that was run just by the French university to immerse myself in French and get away from API. The program administration was really well done. The API center staff was very friendly and got back to me in a time-friendly manner.

I loved studying with API because it gave me a chance to really understand what being independent means, but also gave me a support system when and if needed. API facilitates a huge amount of exploration that many other study abroad programs do not. API students are taken on excursions all over their host country, shown the culture and its customs and are provided tools to explore further, but independently. API is a guiding light.

When I was looking to study abroad my Sophomore year, I was looking for a program that I could both afford and benefit from the most. I chose API because the program includes a lot of different things that made my experience smoother--they find housing, gave us a monthly CROUS stipend and a metro pass. I was able to study at the Sorbonne. The classes were fun and I also learned a lot--win/win. Not to mention the excursions--amazing! I would recommend this program to anyone looking for a great time abroad!