En France, En Français!
This is what is so good about Vanderbilt. When a day turns out to be yours, you can stumble onto something really big, and really awesome. One such great day for me was when Maïté Monchal, the Resident Director of the Vanderbilt-in-France program, visited our French class.
Study abroad programs are an integral part of the American college experience, and Vanderbilt is no exception. The Global Education Office (GEO) manages all that Vanderbilt has to offer outside Nashville, Tennessee, and provides opportunities to study abroad in more than 40 countries across six continents. Name one country that comes to your head as you read this, and chances are you will find it on the list of study abroad programs the GEO has to offer. The Vanderbilt-in-France program was founded in 1961 and is located in Aix-en-Provence in southern France. It is one of the oldest study abroad programs on campus.
Now about the program. Vanderbilt-in-France has two types of programs: the semester program and the summer program. If you do not have any prior experience in French (and do not even know what the title means – although I am sure you can guess!), the summer program is for you. However, intermediate and advanced learners may join too. You get to spend 6 weeks in Aix-en-Provence and 1 week… yes in Paris. There are excursions at the end of every week, and you can find yourself in the middle of Marseille or in Roussillon (STOP and take a look at the picturesque landscape below for a second.) during these trips. Generally, a maximum of 6 credit hours can be earned during the stay.
If you are more passionate about the language of love and are contemplating a possible major or minor in French (like I am! :P), the semester program should be your choice. All you need is the equivalent of 3 semesters of college-level French (up to FR 103), and you can spend the fall or the spring semester (or both!) at Vanderbilt-in-France and earn as much as 18 credit hours each semester not only in French but also in other fields such as history and theater. You can even take classes at the Université de Provence or take part in an internship if you are really proficient!
For either type of program, you need to submit an application to the Department of French and Italian at Vanderbilt. Deadlines generally fall around mid-September if you are looking to catch the spring semester, and around the end of March if you are interested in the summer program or are ready to enroll for the fall. For further information on the awesome program, visit http://www.vanderbilt-in-france.com/?page=Home.
P.S. Don’t forget to check out the awesomeness of other language study abroad programs, courtesy the GEO and the Study Abroad Office. There’s a short list on the Vanderbilt Undergraduate Catalog too.