Maria and Jalen stand side by side in Reims, France with a bed of flowers and brick buildings behind them.
Master's

Studying in France as Americans: Seven Months of Perseverance

We are now seven months into the first year of our master’s degrees in France! Jalen and I attend the Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne and are studying Logistics and Public Law respectively. Read on to discover how we spent this month in Reims.


Save for one in-person oral presentation in my Droit de la Décentralisation seminar, my classes have remained online. I’m currently finishing up my last week of classes, which consists mostly of rattrapages, or make-up sessions due to various instructors’ absences during the semester. I’ve completed all of the assessments for my three Travaux Dirigés, or seminar classes, and have begun studying for my two in-person written and five virtual oral exams in May for my Cours Magistraux, or lecture classes.

Jalen‘s classes finished up on March 19th and he began his internship on April 6th. He has already learned a lot after just a week of work, and is looking forward to continuing to gain new knowledge on the job. Though it’s difficult to take in so much information in so little time, and working a job after having spent months studying from home is a huge transition, he is staying positive.

In our free time, we like to take walks together around the city, and we never seem to run out of new corners to discover! On one of our outings, we spent some time in a public garden and snapped a few pics while we were there.

At the moment, all of France is in a lockdown that limits most activities to a ten kilometer radius from our homes. A 7:00 PM to 6:00 AM curfew is in place, and schools are closed for three weeks. Though it is disheartening to be back in lockdown a year since we experienced the first one in 2020 as TAPIF assistants, we are holding out hope that things will improve soon.

If you have any questions or want to know more, leave us a comment down below!


Check out this month’s update video!


Check out our other monthly updates!


Check out our video about our daily life as students in France!

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