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Deciding to study abroad is a big and exciting step.  It involves determination, courage, and persistence.  I am currently studying abroad in Paris working on a graduate degree and I can tell you it’s been a life-changing experience that has led me down a path that I never would have seen if I’d decided to finish school in the United States.  I’ve learned a lot about the way French culture and society work and my greatest wish is to offer assistance and advice to any students who are seriously thinking about continuing their studies in Paris, France.

If you’re planning on taking courses in Paris whether it be language learning, or continuing a university degree, I highly recommend that you identify your goals.  Identify what you want to get out the of the experience.  Is it language fluency, a little bit of tourism?  Are you seeking a new degree while at the same time having the opportunity to live in a foreign culture?  Do you want to have the experience of working in different country too? Everything is valid as long as you know where you are and where you want to be when the experience is over.

I can tell you from personal experience that you might change your mind along the way and extend your trip.  It happened to me.  I was only supposed to come here for a year to learn French at the Sorbonne.  I worked really hard that year with the language and I can say that at the end I was pretty fluent.  After that, life happened.  I met a great French boy, fell in love and decided to stay another year.  I continued studying French, this time through courses emphasizing classic French literature.  I worked part-time as well as an English instructor as my student visa allowed me to work up to 20 hours a week.  The following year I started my graduate program in Art Market Studies at a private school.  And as for my relationship, I just got married.

I never thought that my decision to learn French would lead me to study in Paris where I could mature and change and grow and experience life from a different perspective.  I think that if you’re passionate about taking a step like this and are open to changing the routine in your life by traveling to a different place, you’ll be surprised by what you can manifest on the road to becoming a better person.