studentsineurope

Language Schools: The Perfect Education Abroad

The Alliance Française in Paris

If you’d like to get an education abroad without taking a student tour or studying at a university in a foreign language, then language schools are a great option. A recent posting on College Confidential made me realize that these schools often go unconsidered when students decide how to spend their time abroad, though they shouldn’t!

I first considered studying abroad about a year prior to my departure, and at the time had no idea how I could find a program befitting to my curriculum (having only a limited French vocabulary and a no interest whatsoever in the aforementioned student tour). After some discussions with my study abroad coordinator, though, I realized that a language school was the perfect option – I could fulfill my language requirement and study independently in the city of my choice: Paris.

I signed up for courses at Alliance Françiase, where I spent about 4 hours a day studying grammar and conversational French; graduating to the next course level at the end of each month. I was surrounded by neither other Americans nor the French, but people from numerous countries, all with a keen interest in learning the language and experiencing Parisian culture as a whole. I made great friends, got a grasp on the language and had a wonderful “study abroad” experience overall.

Alliance Française is located in many countries for those interested in learning French, but almost every city has it’s at least language school – Madrid has Lingua, Copenhagen has StudieSkolen, and so on. A quick Google search will provide you with numerous results, and possibly a fun and beneficial way to study abroad.