Summer Study in France

Bon Jour, Mon Ami!

Live with a French family. Sample the finest French foods and wines. Get into some language. Learn about French history and culture. Experience an emphasis in . . .

Agriculture (horses, dairy cattle, pigs, and more!)
Viticulture (and sample the wines!)
Gastronomy (and food quality topics!!)
Horticulture (flowers plus!)
Agribusiness (how does the European community do it?) or even Rural Tourism (a possible cash crop for small farm USA?)

The summer international program at the Ecole Superieure de Agriculture in Angers, France is waiting for you. The living-learning experience begins Monday, June 2, 2008 and ends on Friday, June 27, 2008. If you like, you may stay on an additional 2, 3, or more weeks in an internship arranged just for you at a local farm or agribusiness location. You do NOT have to know French. You WILL learn some French while there. You WILL even be given the option of staying with a French family. You will be joined by American students from University of Maryland, University of Wisconsin (Madison), Texas A&M University (College Station), Clemson University, North Dakota State University (Fargo), University of Wyoming (Laramie), Illinois State University (Normal), and University of Minnesota (Crookston) . You may register for credits (one 3-credit course which can be used for CORE advanced studies and possibly additional credits, depending on internship options, etc.) here at Maryland. Your experience is only in part in the classroom...site visits, field trips, and one week of organized sight seeing (including Mont St. Michael, the Chateaux of the Loire Valley, and, of course, Paris!) are a major part of this opportunity.

Our own Cheryl Higgins (front, left) and Sarah Sherman (back, left) are pictured (photo at left) with new friends Sarah (Texas A&M) and Vicki (U. of Wisc.) as they enjoy an evening ride down the Seine on their end-of-program tour of Paris. This is a terrific program for students new in their undergraduate careers (rising sophomores, e.g.) and gives both a wonderful international experience and a fresh and invigorating look at a number of issues related to agriculture and natural resources. Can't you just picture yourself on that boat on the Seine next June?

Costs are low (see Dr. Doerr for details) and your College of Agriculture and Natural Resources may be able to help you out with international education scholarship support. Requirements? Simple:

You must have completed two semesters here at Maryland by the time you begin this adventure

You must be in good academic standing - cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better. You will need a 2.5 or higher to be competitive for College of AGNR scholarship support for this opportunity

You must be READY to have a fun, educational experience

To visit the Angers/ESA website, just click here. Want to start the process? Click here to download the 2008 application.

UPDATES! Costs are not yet confirmed, but

ESA (Angers) has a set fee of 1,650 EUD (Euros). That's about $2,500 US. This includes all instruction, housing, meals, and internal travel during the program, etc.
You pay your own way (airfare plus a one-way train ride from Paris to Angers), tuition here if you want the credit, and whatever you want in your pocket for spending money.
You will want to file your application, coordinate with the Study Abroad Office for additional tips, etc. and get ready to travel! Meanwhile, North Dakota State University, one of the exchange partners, has put up a really terrific website. Click here to get an overview of the whole program including scenes of the individual program offerings.

Let us know soon of your intentions so we can help you live, learn, and enjoy the 4-week plus opportunity in Angers, France.

Make a commitment now! Visit the Academic Programs office for details and materials.

For more information, contact Dr. John Doerr

Last updated: 05/15/2008