Studying in France as Americans: Two Months of Hard Work into our Master’s Degrees

Jalen and I have been in France since September pursuing our master’s degrees in Logistics and Public Law respectively at the Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne. It’s been a month since our first update, and we sure have been busy!

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As we discussed on our YouTube channel, Jalen and I are both in class for about thirty hours per week. Between attending our classes, completing assignments, and studying, our free time has been close to non-existant for the past few weeks. Another challenge has been learning French academic methodology as we go – everything from lecture style, to grading, to essay formats are completely different from everything we practiced in undergrad in the United States.

On a positive note, we are both learning massive amounts of information about our fields. This month, Jalen has really enjoyed his Management Industrielle (Industrial Management) class. As for me, I’ve taken a particular interest in both my Droit des Étrangers et de la Nationalité (Foreigner and Nationality Law) and Droit de l’Environnement (Environmental Law) classes. We’re also currently using our one-week break from classes, La Toussaint, to keep pushing ahead on school work and relax a bit.

Unfortunately, the effects of COVID-19 are still something we are all having to manage. In our city, Reims, there is a full-time mask wearing mandate and a nightly curfew. We feel lucky that we’ve been able to attend in-person classes up to this point and hope to continue to do so, but the odds aren’t in our favor as France’s cases continue to rise.

This month has been another tough one for Jalen and I. Attempting to do graduate school abroad during a pandemic is stressful! We feel that we haven’t had a chance to catch our breath between finishing our positions with the Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF), going through the visa application process this summer, and moving back to France in September. As always, we are supporting and taking care of each other the best we can and keeping the positives in the forefront of our minds. We are hopeful that we will continue to adjust to student life in France.

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

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Check out this month’s update video!

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Check out our other monthly updates!

• September 2020
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• January 2021
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Check out our video about our daily life as students in France!

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