Lyon, France: Intensive French, Undergrad Studies in English

I had the opportunity to fulfill one of my life long dreams and the results were even better than I imagined. I met so many amazing and wonderful people from all over the world. The USAC staff onsite were very welcoming, friendly, and truly cared for each and every one of us. The program was laid out perfectly, with field trips being sprinkled across the semester. My favorite USAC field trip was snowshoeing in La Clusaz as the views were absolutely stunning- I have never seen anything like this being from the midwest. Lyon itself was a really engaging city, I felt like there were always events and places to go to. There were so many hidden gems throughout the city and it felt like an adventure uncovering them. The courses at UCLY were perfect and all the professors were very understanding and enjoyed answering your questions or working one on one with you. Overall, being in Lyon was an amazing opportunity and I am so grateful that I got to call that city home.

This program was an amazing experience. I really felt immersed in the French culture and going abroad with a group of other American students provided a community that helped a lot with feelings of homesickness. We had the opportunity to go to a winery and a few tours to different regions in France which was very fun. Lyon itself was a great city to live in, there were tons of options of things to do and the public transit system was so easy to use. If I had enough time I would do it again!

I 1000% would recommend this program to anyone who asks me about it. I studied abroad through USAC in Lyon in the summer of 2023 and had the most remarkable time of my life. I am an athlete so going abroad during a fall or winter semester wasn't an option for me. Despite this, I have always always wanted to study abroad and USAC gave me the most perfect opportunity. I met so many remarkable people (the majority of whom I am still great friends with!!) and experienced so many new things. While I was in France I was able to study under amazing professors who enhanced by knowledge of the French language but what I valued most were the cultural experiences. Having dinner with my classmates in Old Lyon, eating bread and drinking wine on the banks of the river, and the traveling I was able to do are some of my favourite memories of France. Lyon is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and I am so lucky to have had this opportunity. I was 19 years old at the time and I'm female but I felt so safe the entire time and enjoyed every second of my experience.