When my older sister studied abroad during her junior year of college and returned home with a plethora of exciting stories, new memories, and friends from around the world, I knew that I also wanted to spend a semester exploring a different country. I wanted to follow in her footsteps and go out of my comfort zone and try something completely new.
So, during the first month of my junior year, I began to research different places where I could study in the Spring. Fordham has a whole website dedicated to searching their dozens of study abroad programs, meaning that I could study virtually anywhere in the world. Going in, I knew that I wanted to study somewhere in Europe. My sister had studied in India for her semester, and while she really enjoyed it, I wanted to go somewhere that was a little closer to home.
At Fordham, students are required to take four semesters of a language. During my fall semester of my junior year, I was in the process of taking my third semester of French, a language that I took online in high school but because I did not retain any of the information I learned during those three years of French, I essentially had to start from scratch my freshman year of college. Because I still had one semester of French left to take, I wanted to find a study abroad program that would allow me to take French and finish off my four semester requirement so I did not have to worry about it my senior year.
There were several programs in France that Fordham offered, however most of them required students to be fluent in French because classes were taught primarily in French. Although I was good at memorizing French vocab, and I knew how to have a basic conversation, there was no way I was going to be able to take a class in French and understand even half of what was being taught.
Luckily, I came across the study abroad program in Reims, France, where classes are taught in both French AND English. The university, called SciencesPo, is known for its political science classes and many notable French politicians have attended the school. Because SciencesPo checked off both of the options on my list (it had French language classes and regular classes taught in English) I knew that I wanted to attend this university.
Although the language class ended up being much more intensive than I imagined, as there were six hours of French class a week and it was taught exclusively in French, I am so glad that I picked Reims as my home away from home. Because my major is Digital Media, and SciencesPo specializes in political science and history, I was able to take a few classes that did not relate to my major, but ended up being very interesting, such as Entrepreneurship. Ultimately, I am so glad that I chose France as the place to finish off my fourth semester of French. Not only did I get to live with four French roommates and get to practice my French with people on the street and with the very patient woman in the boulangerie everyday, but I also got the opportunity to explore a lesser-known region in France for five months, which proved to be a unique and unforgettable experience. Whether you go to a completely different country like India, or a place closer to home, like France, I guarantee that you too will return home with exciting stories, new memories, and friends from around the world.
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