IES Abroad Arles Summer – Study in Provence

I loved my study abroad experience with IES! I studied in Arles, France, summer 2022. IES made studying abroad such an easy process with clear instructions and tons of information provided on their website.

I highly recommend IES to anyone looking for a trustworthy study abroad program. I went abroad with IES Arles for the summer of 2018 and I had a memorable, once-in-a-lifetime experience. The staff and administrators made themselves very available and accessible in various ways to provide a fun and safe environment. Professors and administrators encouraged students to push the limits of our comfort zones in terms of language barriers. As a result, I experienced rapid growth in my understanding of French language and culture. We had a couple locals that were our tour guides who showed us around the city, introducing us to their favorites spots to grab a bite, study, attend community events. On Fridays, trips were organized to explore neighboring cities and neighborhoods. I could only do a summer abroad with my schedule, but I definitely would have done a year abroad if I could have.

My time in Arles was for sure a great highlight of my freshman year summer. I had not only improved my French, but also had experienced a real cultural immersion. Coming from a big city like Shanghai and growing up in a Chinese culture, I have never quite experienced close relationships with neighbours and I was quite surprised by the frequent visits among neighbours during my time in Arles. I felt like I had more than one host family and had the amazing opportunity to talk to many locals. Cooking dinner together either at home or at neighbours', starting of dinner with a bit of olives and aperitif, enjoying the typical french style home-cooked cuisine... It were all of these little but amazing moments that made the Arles summer program worth attending...