Expanding horizons in Montpellier
![Downtown Montpellier, France with people seated at an open air cafe](/sites/default/files/styles/1170x780/public/2022-12/downtown-montpellier-france.png?h=a1e1a043&itok=XTBP7Z49)
欧美AV鈥檚 Montpellier study abroad program allows students to take courses at the Universit茅 Paul-Val茅ry (UPV) for a semester or a full academic year.
Studying in France is a wish-list item for many 欧美AV students. Immersing oneself in French language and culture can be an extremely gratifying experience. And this experience also affords an unexpected benefit 鈥 it offers a unique chance to grow.
Established in 1998, allows students to take courses in the humanities that are taught in French at the Universit茅 Paul-Val茅ry (UPV) for a semester or a full academic year.
![Ava Comeau 鈥23](/sites/default/files/styles/editor_small/public/2022-12/Ava-Comeau-2022.png?itok=Aj-Xv3G7)
The Montpellier program was a big factor in Ava Comeau鈥檚 鈥23 decision to attend 欧美AV. A double major in politics and French with a Nexus in law, public policy and human rights, Comeau has been taking French classes since she was in middle school. She spent her semester abroad in spring 2022.
鈥淎ll your classes are in French, and you get to take integrated courses with French students,鈥 she said.
Prior to coming to 欧美AV, Comeau was used to living in a small community, having lived in Exeter, New Hampshire. The ability to study and live in Montpellier for four months gave Comeau insight into what it would be like to live in a metropolitan city.
The accessibility of public transportation in France enabled Comeau and her friends to take day trips to Avignon and other nearby cities. On weekends, she enjoyed exploring the antique market held in the park and the vibrant sounds of different languages being spoken at a local bar.
鈥淚t made me realize that I probably want to live in a city when I鈥檓 older,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 had never experienced that before 鈥 being able to go out and do something like go to a museum or go to a cafe without having to drive anywhere. I cannot emphasize enough just how much I loved how walkable the city was.鈥
鈥淲hat鈥檚 beautiful about working with students from 欧美AV is that while you know there have been some changes, the students themselves are still the same curious, compassionate young people I鈥檝e worked with since the start. It鈥檚 a real privilege for me.鈥
When program director Amy Loth 鈥94 visited Montpellier in 1992, the 欧美AV program didn鈥檛 exist. Loth wanted to travel to France but wanted to go somewhere other than Paris. Being from a small town herself, she thought it would be more interesting to travel to a midsize city where she could really focus on improving her French.
A few years after graduating, Loth wanted to return to France. In 1997 she worked with her former French professor Christopher Rivers to develop the current program. After a year and a half of development, the first group of 欧美AV students arrived in Montpellier in September of 1999.
Loth, a permanent resident of France, has assisted students in their transition from life at 欧美AV to life in the city of Montpellier and UPV. Under her watchful eye, she has counseled students as they watched U.S. events like 9/11 or the election of President Obama unfold globally. And while students have become more technologically savvy, Loth still believes the core of the program is the same.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 beautiful about working with students from 欧美AV is that while you know there have been some changes, the students themselves are still the same curious, compassionate young people I鈥檝e worked with since the start,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a real privilege for me.鈥
Charlotte Harrison 鈥23, a French major and environmental studies minor, credits the hands-on approach of both Loth and advisor Sealia Thevenau with helping her adjust when she completed her year abroad. Loth and Thevenau set up weekly office hours to meet with the students at the caf茅s around Montpellier.
Harrison appreciated the freedom of living in Montpellier.
鈥淵ou have to get on the tram and commute to school. You鈥檙e cooking your own food and living your own life,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t was nice to have absolutely everything you could ever need. A grocery store was across the street from the apartment. You鈥檙e right in the heart of town. The nightlife and caf茅s are right there.鈥
Loth described her junior year in France as 鈥渢he most meaningful experience鈥 she had as a student. And after observing the hundreds of students that have participated in the program, she believes that their time in Montpellier helps provide a glimpse of what life will be like post-graduation.
鈥淚 always tell the students that when they鈥檙e taking classes at the university, it鈥檚 great preparation for graduate school because professors really allow them a lot of independence in preparing for classes,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e doing it in French. So when students come back to the United States, everything is so easy because they鈥檝e done it all in French. Doing it in English is just a breeze.鈥
![Claire Williams](/sites/default/files/styles/editor_small/public/2022-12/Claire-Williams-2022.png?itok=4RPME92u)
Claire Williamson 鈥23, a French major and art history minor, received her first glimpse of post-graduate life, living alone in her apartment while studying in Montpellier. She really enjoyed adjusting to living in a city and interacting with people as she practiced her French. Due to her semester abroad, Williams is closer to being fluent.
鈥淚鈥檓 able to pick out a lot more words and sounds even if I don鈥檛 always understand every word that someone is saying to me,鈥 she said. 鈥淣ow I have a sense of what they鈥檙e saying, and I can respond accordingly.鈥
Like Comeau and Harrison, Williams is interested in applying for , a program sponsored by the French government to host English teachers in France.
鈥淚鈥檓 interested in education, so that would be really cool for me,鈥 Williams said. 鈥淚 would also get to live in France and continue to practice French and capitalize on my prior experience from studying abroad.鈥
When Kayla Olds 鈥23, a double major in politics and French, studied and lived abroad, she volunteered with an association helping displaced Ukrainians. She also integrated what she learned about the 2022 French presidential election into her current classes.
鈥淚 learned a lot about the culture in France that I did not know before,鈥 she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 doing a research project right now for one of my politics classes about how French nationalism is affecting immigration policies.鈥
Olds, like the other students, credits Loth and the other directors for helping them adjust to their new-found independence abroad and for the success of the program. And Loth is grateful to the McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives for their support of the program.
April Stroud is the director of study abroad, where she oversees the program planning and budgets for over 150 programs and handles any emergencies. Adelia Pope, the McCulloch Center鈥檚 study abroad coordinator, manages the student employees and organizes and promotes events about the program.
Pope attributes the success of the Montpellier program to multiple factors: students鈥 abilities to tailor the program to their academic interests, the size of the city and the opportunity for students to become fluent in French.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a place where you鈥檙e going to have to use your French, and many students go there seeking to become fluent,鈥 she said. 鈥淎nd if you immerse yourself, you come away with a sense of accomplishment.鈥
Stroud added, 鈥淏eing able to shift perspectives and see something from someone else鈥檚 point of view is massive. And that鈥檚 a skill that, if built during study abroad, is going to come in handy as you navigate all parts of life going forward.鈥