Traveling During Your Study Abroad Program in Rennes
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Open-mindedness, passion, and resilience are some characteristics that come to mind when I think about what it takes to study abroad.
I believe that, like myself, many people are drawn to studying abroad to see the world and experience new cultures in their early twenties. After all, traveling the world is a bucket list thing– seeing the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the canals in Amsterdam, or the beaches in Barcelona, to name a few, that I can now happily check off my list.
While the IFL (Intensive French Language) Study Abroad program in Rennes truly is intensive, I at first thought that it would be difficult to balance classes, homework, meeting new people and traveling all at once. And to be honest, it’s not easy. However, with the right time-management and organizational skills, it is very possible. While studying in Rennes, your first priority is studying and going to class. Classes are Monday–Friday, where you wake up around 7:30 every morning and get home as late as 6-7 pm if you decide to get a coffee or go to a restaurant with your classmates (which my class does every single day). If this is the case, then you’re probably thinking to yourself that traveling and doing things other than classes/resting during the intensive 8-week program is hard— I’m here to tell you that it is still very much possible.
Paris is an hour and a half train ride away. With the SNCF (the train), the metro, the Eurostar, and the airport in Rennes (or Nantes if you take the $8 train to the airport), Europe (and all of France) is right at your fingertips. Between Saint-Malo, Mont St. Michel, Nantes (destinations explored with CIEE), Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona and more, there are plenty of opportunities to travel and explore during your 8 weeks in Rennes while still attending all of your classes. While the Monday morning class can be daunting after a long weekend of traveling and living life around Europe, I promise you that it is worth it and that you will survive the Monday mornings.
Rachel Marriott
Rochester Institute of Technology
CIEE-Rennes Summer Intensive French Language 2024
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