APA Paris: Immersive Academics, Culture, Community

The thing I loved most about APA was the flexibility of the academic program. Students are capable of taking classes at multiple universities on multiple subjects. There are plenty of opportunities for independently seeking experiences as well.
Classes are held in different French universities, but APA offers personal and group language support, as well as language buddies and complimentary courses. I'm not sure the program could have done much more to provide additional academic support.
If you are looking for an immersive language program to improve your French, APA provides all the necessary tools to achieve your goals.

I had a great semester abroad with APA! I came into the semester very insecure about my French speaking abilities and unsure whether or not I would be able to take a full course load completely in French! With all the support and guidance APA provides it was completely doable and I learned so much. I only have good things to say about the ladies in charge of the program: Claire, Sophie and Blandine. The culture program and the museum passes were great as well!

APA is a really wonderful program. Its greatest strength is the flexibility/options it provides - if you come to Paris wanting to take certain courses or do certain things, APA will give you the support to make it happen! You can really make the semester your own.

Claire, Sophie, and Blandine, who run the program, are compassionate and genuinely caring folks who go out of their way to provide a great experience for their students. I felt very supported by them throughout the semester.

I liked the courses I took in Paris more than many of my Princeton courses. Each one was fantastic. The in-house art class is not to be missed!

The three women who run the program are amazing. Unlike other programs study abroad programs, APA is completely immersive. The classes offered at APA are great, and the classes at the university are challenging, but with the support of APA it's totally doable! I would definitely recommend APA to anyone thinking about studying abroad in France, and my only regret is doing a semester instead of a year!!

It was my childhood dream to go to Paris and when I was applying to study abroad programs I was looking for a structured program with enough guidance to feel safe leaving the country for a semester but also enough leeway for me to enjoy free time in this new city. I wanted to get the most bang for my buck and APA delivered. I loved that we had could decide what Parisian universities to attend, our metro passes were included in the program fees, we got weekly tickets to all different kinds of shows across Paris (dance, traditional theater/avant garde, concerts), tutoring for French language. Sophie, Blandine, and Claire are very sweet and are genuinely concerned with how we were getting along with the program.

Things to note: 1) Beware of pickpocets! I can not stress this enough. Tourists/Americans are huge targets... even locals are frequently stolen from. Never leave your phone in your pocket. 2) You meet such amazing people through APA it's easy to stick to your new American friends and speak English. It's imperative to make French friends to learn slang and informal speech. 3) As a woman-of-color it can be a bit more of a culture shock to navigate being a minority in another country, make French friends you think might share the same experiences as you, they will have a lot of tips. 4) Some host families love it when you cook American meals to share with them at dinner 5) Explore the city even when you don't feel like it. A lot of times when I felt down and lonely cause I missed family and friends back home I'd go out to a part of the city I had never been before and discover something new to lift my mood.

All in all, this was an incredible experience and I'm so glad I chose APA. I felt so supported and I met some really amazing people and made lifelong friends!

One of the highlights of this programme is its two in-house courses. When I took the programme, the two in-house courses were Contemporary Politics of France and 20th Century French Art. These courses were both taught by local teachers in the field who had worked with the programme before. They were both extremely well researched and were patient with the different levels of french in the classroom. They came to the programme's centre to offer private classes to the programme's student, and it felt like a great luxury.

I really enjoyed my study abroad experience with APA. Claire, Sophie, and Blandine who ran the program were very approachable and helpful. Their goal was to make sure students succeeded academically and had a great time in Paris. There were only ten students in the program which made the experience very personal. It was just what I needed to improve my French. Each week, we went to some sort of show which was wonderful. There were also visits to nearby towns and attractions. I really appreciated these outings because I most likely wouldn't have done these things on my own. The two classes that they offered were very interesting and included weekend study tours to other countries. They were taught by dedicated professors who enjoyed working with international students. APA did a fabulous job matching each student with a host family. I am very happy that I chose to attend APA's program because they made Paris feel like home.

APA Paris was the best program I could've asked for for what I wanted. Coming from a small liberal arts college, I really appreciated that the program was small (only 10 students in my cohort) and that the small but extremely dedicated, approachable, and available staff really cared about each of our individual needs and voices. I became really close to the program staff in Paris and had lots of fun with them on the weekly outings that they organized for us! Each week, we saw a different artistic performance, whether it be a circus, dance, cabaret, musical, play, or other work! It truly allowed me to get to know a side of Paris that I would have never seen unless it was organized for me! The French university system is also radically different from my experience in the U.S., but luckily the staff spent three weeks with us at the beginning of the semester teaching us about the university system through an orientation program. That support continued throughout the semester through tutoring sessions to learn the methodology of our course work or meetings with professors. The two in-house courses were also absolutely incredible and allowed us to get to know French professors while still having a small, intimate class where discussion was highly encouraged. We also got to go on a study-tour to a different country for each of the in-house classes! Those trips were weekend-long trips organized by the program that helped expand what were were learning in the classroom. The host family I was set up with was super caring as well. APA Staff are very particular in their process of matching a student to a host family so that the best match is possible. I lived in a great area with a mother and her daughter and had dinner with them 5x a week. APA did a great job at helping us really get to know Paris and become immersed in the Parisian lifestyle. Through APA, I was able to meet several French students who would meet up with us regular to go out to cafes or concerts. Especially because it can sometimes be hard to meet French students at your university, it was nice that APA set up programs for us to meet French students that we could befriend. I am very thankful to APA for a great experience that not only helped me improve my France language abilities, but also allowed me to fall in love with the City of Light.