●Almost none of the classes here count for any of my majors or minors, so I'm using this semester as an opportunity to take electives I'm interested in, like art history and film! I don't have as much work as I did in New York and it's nice to have a semester to relax and enjoy the material I'm learning. I'm also taking a harder French class than I thought I'd be taking, so taking other electives gives me more time to focus on that, too!
●Take the highest level of a language that you can. I hadn't taken French since my junior year of high school, but because of AP credits, I was placed in a high enough level that I could be taking all of my classes en français. Even though my class is challenging, it's helped me get that much closer to being fluent and has made getting around Paris even easier. Being immersed in the language outside of class is an opportunity I probably won't get for a while, and I'll probably never take a French class again, so I'm glad I signed up for a more difficult one because this is a great chance to really learn the language.
●Taking classes that relate to your study abroad country (aka French Cinema, Napoleon and the French Revolution, and Impressionism for me) are really incredible because they often include lots of field trips to see the places where history actually happened or to study paintings in real life. I've loved walking around Paris and feeling like I'm immersed in the history - it's really exciting to know about what happened exactly where you're standing centuries before, and has made me really appreciate the city that much more.
●None of the classes here are super difficult but most of mine involve a lot of skills that I don't use in classes in New York, like analyzing artworks and films, which was a little difficult at first as I adjusted to it. There aren't any Stern classes here, though, so if you're in a time crunch for finishing a degree, Paris (unfortunately) isn't your best bet!
●Take the highest level of a language that you can. I hadn't taken French since my junior year of high school, but because of AP credits, I was placed in a high enough level that I could be taking all of my classes en français. Even though my class is challenging, it's helped me get that much closer to being fluent and has made getting around Paris even easier. Being immersed in the language outside of class is an opportunity I probably won't get for a while, and I'll probably never take a French class again, so I'm glad I signed up for a more difficult one because this is a great chance to really learn the language.
●Taking classes that relate to your study abroad country (aka French Cinema, Napoleon and the French Revolution, and Impressionism for me) are really incredible because they often include lots of field trips to see the places where history actually happened or to study paintings in real life. I've loved walking around Paris and feeling like I'm immersed in the history - it's really exciting to know about what happened exactly where you're standing centuries before, and has made me really appreciate the city that much more.
●None of the classes here are super difficult but most of mine involve a lot of skills that I don't use in classes in New York, like analyzing artworks and films, which was a little difficult at first as I adjusted to it. There aren't any Stern classes here, though, so if you're in a time crunch for finishing a degree, Paris (unfortunately) isn't your best bet!