Studying in France as Americans: Our Master’s Degree Journey is Complete
We can hardly believe that it’s time to share the last installation in our master’s degree monthly update series. For many years of our young adult lives, we took challenging personal, academic, and financial steps to make studying in France for our master’s degrees possible, and we have finally accomplished it! To find out how we spent the fun-filled months of September and October as American graduate students in France, keep reading.
Though we both finished up all of our academic obligations back in August, we had to wait patiently for a few weeks to know our results. Jalen’s final grades were published mid-September, and he successfully earned his Master 2 Gestion de Production, Logistique, Achats parcours Logistique Durable et Management de la Supply Chain with an average of 13,467/20 and a mention assez bien (with honors). My grades were published at the end of September, and I passed my Master 2 Droit Public parcours Intégration Européenne et Gouvernance Globale with an average of 16/20 and a mention très bien (with highest honors). We are overjoyed that all of our hard work paid off and proud to have achieved what sometimes felt impossible.
At the beginning of September, we headed to Paris by train to catch a flight to the United States to spend some time with loved ones in our home country. Though our initial flight was cancelled and we had to stay the night in an airport hotel, the rest of the trip went smoothly. We took advantage of our stateside vacation to hang out with our families, swap stories with friends we hadn’t seen in years, eat lots of our favorite American foods, attend my childhood best friend’s gorgeous wedding, celebrate my brother’s birthday, and more! Two weeks passed by in a flash, and we learned that even after living abroad for years, saying goodbye to our families hasn’t gotten much easier!
@the_francofile Food I ate on our vacation to the USA as a meat lover. 🇺🇸🤤 #america #american #americanfood #americanfoods #americanculture #unitedstates #unitedstatesofamerica #usa #usafood #usafoods #whatieat #whatieatinaday #meatlover #phoneeatsfirst #food #foodie #foodlover #foodtok #foodtiktok #junkfood #americaninfrance #expat #expatlife #immigration #immigrant #chicken #guacamole #friedchicken #burger #cheeseburger #pasta #chickenwings #breakfastsandwich #queso #steak #macandcheese #muffins #corndog #tatertots #hamburgerhelper #meatballsub #chickfila #friedchickensandwhich #wafflefries #lobster #seafood #seafoodpasta #roastedcauliflower #pulledpork #eggrolls #shrimpandgrits #peachcobbler #loadedbakedpotato #burritobowl #fries #custard #bread #pizza #soup #bacon #mcmuffin #hashbrowns #pickle #veganchicken #veganmacandcheese #americanbreakfast #pigsinablanket ♬ American Dream – Pasha
@the_francofile Food I ate on our vacation to the USA as a pescatarian. 🇺🇸🤤 #america #american #americanfood #americanfoods #americanculture #unitedstates #unitedstatesofamerica #usa #usafood #usafoods #whatieat #whatieatinaday #pescatarian #phoneeatsfirst #food #foodie #foodlover #foodtok #foodtiktok #junkfood #americaninfrance #americanabroad #expat #expatlife #immigration #immigrant #france #salsa #macandcheese #americanbreakfast #tofu #rice #weddingcake #pasta #bloominonion #pizza #biscuitsandgravy #cinnamonroll #tatertots #burger #blackbeanburger #fishtacos #salmon #lemoncake #shrimp #queso #burritobowl #subsandwiches #cheesecake #mcgriddle #hashbrowns #grilledcheese #pickle #veganchicken #pancakes #pumpkinspice #beyondburger #fries ♬ Follow me – Quandale Dingle • Friend
Upon our return to France, we headed south by train to the beautiful city of Biarritz for a better-late-than-never honeymoon in the French Basque Country! I had been pining for a bona fide beach trip with Jalen for years, and our week in southwestern France was everything I’d hoped for! We had a few sunny days that we spent lounging on the beach and a few rainy days that we occupied by visiting the aquarium and shopping. We also visited the Casino Barrière, the Rocher de la Vierge, the Phare de Biarritz, and plenty of phenomenal restaurants. Jalen’s favorite part was eating lots of moules-frites (mussels with fries) and mine was enjoying the breath-taking coastal views. All trains departing from Biarritz on our last day were cancelled, which made the trip home much longer and pretty unpleasant, but we’re happy that the vast majority of the trip went to plan!
Once we got back to Reims for good, we tackled our first order of business as recent graduates of French university – changing our residency status. After gathering all of the required paperwork, Jalen and I headed to the Sous-Préfecture de Reims to apply for cartes de séjour recherche d’emploi ou création d’entreprise. We both left our appointments with récépissés that allow us to look for work in France! The job search has officially begun, so if you hear of any relevant opportunities for us, send them our way!
We want to extend a sincere thank you to everyone who has followed along on our master’s degree adventures. Connecting with our audience across social media platforms has been a meaningful part of our experience, and we feel honored to have helped others by sharing our journey! However, the end of French graduate school doesn’t mark the end of our antics, so stay tuned to keep up with our lives as Americans in France!
Have questions or want to know more? Leave us a comment!
Check out this month’s update video!
Check out our other monthly updates!
- September 2020
- October 2020
- November 2020
- December 2020
- January 2021
- February 2021
- March 2021
- April 2021
- May 2021
- June 2021
- July 2021
- August 2021
- September 2021
- October 2021
- November 2021
- December 2021
- January 2022
- February 2022
- March 2022
- April 2022
- May 2022
- June 2022
- July 2022
- August 2022
One Comment
Lisa Fleury
Congratulations to you both on your hard earned degrees and your wedding. Good luck with your job searches. If you have LinkedIn profiles, let us know.