ISA Study Abroad in Paris, France

The city of Paris was amazing and ISA was the best ! They made sure we had the support and knowledge needed to thrive. They engaged us in so many rich and meaning activities, and we had a couple weekend trips to Normandie and the Loire Valley. It was great to see other parts of France outside the busy rush of Paris. The culture in Paris is amazing from the gastronomy to the art and to the beautiful architecture. I love that Paris is such a walkable city with so many different shops and pâtisseries and bistros. There’s so much to explore.

I did a semester abroad with ISA after dreaming about living in Paris my entire life. Before arrival in Paris, I was assigned to an apartment with 5 other girls, which initially scared me because I didn’t know any of them and hadn’t chosen the apartment. Not only did they turn out to become best friends who I still talk to regularly, but the apartment was also beautiful & in a safe location!
I also loved the university, classes were interesting and challenging - but not too intense that I couldn’t go out & enjoy Paris + take time to travel.
When my time got cut short because of Covid, I was heartbroken, but there was nothing to be done - and I’m still incredibly grateful for the time I did get!

This program met all of my expectations for a study abroad and more! As somebody who does not speak french and has barely traveled Europe, I was extremely nervous about studying in Paris. However, ISA did a great job connecting everyone in the program which made it easy to make friends. They also held info sessions that contained all the information you will need for the semester, such as metro information, upcoming events, trendy restaurants and bars, and places to visit. The trips that ISA planned were the perfect balance of structured events and free time. I chose to live in an apartment that ISA arranged for me, and it had everything that I needed and was in a great location in the 11th arrondissement about 10 minutes from ABS. Also do not be too nervous about the language, as long as you put in some effort and show respect, you will be treated very nicely in Paris.

I absolutely loved my program in Paris!!! ISA set us up so well to get to know Paris and get acquainted. They were so nice and fun, and really cared about us and helped us whenever we needed literally anything. They got to know us and had fun and joked around with us it more like they wanted to be our friends instead of just "chaperones". They encouraged us to get outside of our comfort zones and really immerse ourselves in the experience. I always recommend ISA to anyone wanting to go abroad!!!

Honestly, I had no idea what to expect. I chose this program to learn French while exploring France. The program exceeded my expectations in what we could fit into four weeks. We had a weekend excursion to Saint-Malo, which I had never even heard of. It was so much fun seeing this new town and going to the beach and seeing a castle in the ocean! We even hiked to a landmark that is normally surrounded by water. This was a great way to bond with others in the program. Back in Paris, we went to class everyday, and the group of students were very diverse and all different age groups. Most of our learning was audibly speaking French. For my afternoon class, we did an interactive art class that took us to different museums and landmarks in Paris. We were basically running around the whole city seeing everything we could with our incredible guide! At night, we had free time to shop, eat, see shows, meet up with the other students and relax. On the weekends, we were able to do what we wanted and could even go on weekend trips (I went to the south of France and Disneyland Paris). I never felt unsafe, as the program encouraged walking/ doing things in groups and reporting to them if we were leaving Paris. The accommodations were the choice of a home stay or a student apartment; I chose the student apartment. It was ok, not the nicest, and it got loud at night, but I had my own room and a great view. There was also a gym on premise which was nice to use. We were centrally located to a convenient store and restaurants so we didn’t have to go far. All in all, I met cool people I’ll always remember and saw Paris firsthand all while learning the language collaboratively. It was a four weeks I’ll always remember. I highly recommend for those looking for a more experiential study abroad with a great mix of people. Thanks, ISA!

I studied abroad in the spring of 2023 in Paris, France. I loved the location, food, everything about it was amazing. I travelled every weekend to go see the world and ISA was very supportive and helpful. We had meetings with the Paris staff to discuss our housing, school, safety, and pretty much anything you can think of. My apartment was nothing special, but it was in a decent location with access to the Metro Line 1. Overall, I had an awesome time and although some aspects were not as great the program in general was fantastic.

I had never been overseas before studying abroad, so I was really nervous and overwhelmed at first, but the ISA staff were very helpful in laying out all of the steps I need to take in order to have a successful experience. Once I landed in Paris, people from the ISA Paris team met me at the airport and took me to the office, so I could get settled, then they paid for an Uber to take me to my host's house. I really liked being able to live with a French family who provided meals for me because I felt like I got to see how locals lived and ate. My university was also great. It was in a beautiful building with a cafeteria. I liked most of my professors, even though there was a pretty strong language barrier at first. The best part of the experience was being so centrally located and being able to visit a plethora of museums and monuments, and also being able to travel to other countries on the weekend. I did face some culture shock, which is to be expected, but all in all I LOVED my experience.

Going abroad with ISA was one of the best decisions of my life, even though it tragically got cut short by COVID. I went abroad in Spring of 2020 and I had the most amazing 6 weeks of my life. I loved the university, Le Catho, where I studied French language and culture. My French skills grew exponentially in that short period of time. I chose to live in a homestay which was really special because I developed a beautiful relationship with my host mother. I also loved the excursions they took us on, such as Normandy and Mont Michel! The on-site staff were also amazing people, allowing for a seamless transition from arrival to daily life. Getting sent home from COVID was very jarring, and hard for both myself and ISA. They were able to do the best they could in the circumstances and I was appreciative of their support during those hard times.