Why I chose IES Abroad Nantes

Why Study Abroad?

Picture this: waking up in the morning to go for a walk in a new country before attending classes and exploring a new city's restaurants. 

Studying abroad is an opportunity to practically apply what we’ve learned in school while living in a new place and enjoying local cultural experiences. Students are able to spend the semester exploring while learning new languages and connecting college classes to real world experiences. It is the chance to combine travel with education and achieve adventures during an otherwise academically tedious time. 

I choose to apply to study abroad because I could continue my university classes while immersing myself in a new culture, location, and language. One of my goals is to live in another country so the study abroad experience seemed perfect to me. My only concerns.... choosing the program and a place I would be excited to live in. 

Finding the Right Program and Why I Chose IES Abroad?

Since Choosing a study abroad program was the hardest part of the application period but I used the following criteria to make a decision: 

1. Experience
2. Academics
3. Support systems

1. Being in a foreign country is very exciting but it may be difficult to make new friends or discover parts of the country without some guidance. With experience being at the forefront of the Study Abroad decision, I wanted a program that could help me find opportunities to socialize with friends outside of daily classes. For experience, my hope is to make friends with both the people in my program and those who live locally. The IES Abroad Nantes program recognizes and meets this expectation by offering orientations to the students upon arrival to help with integration and providing field trips to other parts of the country so you can explore the country while meeting your peers. Specifically, the program has cultural tutors or local university students who support you in discovering your new home for the next few months. This combination indicates to me that the program will offer an exciting experience and wants a student's experience to be more than just a classroom. 

2. Academics are an essential part of studying abroad since the classes take up time during the day and help you manage to keep up to date with your home university. In the IES Abroad program, the classes offered stretch to cover many disciplines. One of my majors is French and Francophone studies so I looked for a program that could deepen my knowledge in this field with the right classes. At Nantes, all of the classes are taught in French so I can have the aspect of academic rigor and be learning while traveling.  IES Abroad also allows students to enroll in the local universities to take classes on subjects not taught in the program. I am able to enroll in French classes within IES on a variety of topics but classes related to business (my primary field of study) or other subjects like psychology are not offered within the IES Abroad program. To ensure students still study what they are interested in, IES Abroad Nantes allows you to choose typically 1-2 classes to take at Nantes University.

3. Studying abroad is terrifying... FUN and new but also terrifying. There are many stressful factors from getting VISAs to safety to support so you can thrive. Throughout the application process and predeparture, the IES Abroad program and staff have shared information to ensure we can study in a foreign country and know a comfortable amount of information to move to a different country. I wanted a program that paid special attention to walk me through social norms and expectations in a new city. Since French is not my first language and I’m not a fluent speaker, I was initially quite scared that applying to a program only in French would mean I wouldn’t succeed academically. The structure of this program, however, creates multiple channels of support so I can receive help on integrating into French society, completing my homework and succeeding in the classroom, and even balancing a more challenging course load with Nantes University classes. There were Zoom calls held to answer questions and emails with essential information frequently sent out. The program advertises many support systems so the study abroad experience can lean heavier on the exciting “try new things” mindset rather than “worried on school” mindset. Because of this, I felt like this program offered the right support for me.

Advice on Choosing a Location?

I knew I wanted to do a study abroad program through IES Abroad so my options were between Paris and Nantes. Although Paris is the capital city and I can be sure there are many exciting sites to visit, I wasn't sure if I wanted to be a giant city where my language skills may struggle more. Nantes is a slightly smaller city compared to Paris but it has a very historical feel to it and seems like a proper adventure as something I am not used to. Both locations seemed to have comparable weather so the decision for the location came down to language experience. 
I ultimately chose to apply to IES Abroad Nantes because the program is taught fully in French and I will be living with a host family. With an ultimate goal to improve fluency, being a location where I am challenged to only use the local language, I can be sure that I will improve my skills by the end of the program.

Advice on Individual Programs:

I specifically chose my program for the language component and the cultural immersion, however, some people would rather choose a program for the location, for the courses offered, or another reason. There is no one correct choice but it is important to list out what you are specifically looking for to maximize your happiness with the program. It may feel like you will be traveling by yourself if your friends want to choose other programs but within study abroad, there will be many opportunities to meet people so you won’t be alone. 

With all thoughts in mind, the study abroad experience should be rewarding and I'm excited to see how I fit the program in Nantes! À bientôt !