Claire Andreski '24
Accounting Major
Study Abroad: Nantes, France
Accounting Major
Study Abroad: Nantes, France
What was one of your favorite classes? My favorite class I’m taking is a sociology class called Contemporary French Society. It’s my favorite because we get to do so many “field studies” such as going downtown and doing an opinion poll with real French people or going to the city’s archives to look at old newspapers. Next month we’re going to get to watch a real French trial at the tribunal as well!
What did you like about your program/university? I like how my program has so many different class options and opportunities you might never be able to have at your home university. For instance, there’s a gastronomy course where we had a wine dégustation at 9 am and also there’s an internship class where you can be an English teaching assistant in a real French school! They really try to give you a taste of the real culture and offer ways to get involved in the city’s cultural events too!
What was your favorite place that you visited or favorite part about your city? My favorite part about Nantes is how historic the city is and how it has its own distinct culture that I feel like I’m getting to know better every day! The history and culture of the city is my favorite part about living here because everyone knows a lot about the city’s history and is happy to share what they know with you! People seem proud to live here and they have many cool traditions like galettes (savory crepes) and their own specific type of cheese (le Curé Nantais)! It’s also a very cool feeling to get to walk past historical buildings everyday just on my way to school. My overall favorite city I’ve visited so far has to be Dinan though!
What advice would you give to the 2022 abroad students? The advice I would give to 2022 abroad students is don’t let yourself be intimidated by the idea of interacting with locals because you’re going to do embarrassing things or say something wrong in a different language because it can hold you back from having some really great interactions and meeting cool people! The best interactions I’ve had so far have been completely unexpected and the lessons and words I remember best have come from my mistakes!