My name is Madison Knapp, a Creative Writing major and French minor at UM. I’m a student at the University of Montana, but I’m currently studying abroad at l’Université de Picardie Jules Verne in Amiens, France. I’m studying abroad to finish my French minor and experience French culture firsthand.
I have been lucky enough to be in France before, but this is my first time living like a French student for 5 to 6 months. I’ve been learning French for six and a half years, and despite my understanding of the language, I still found the idea of studying abroad daunting.
This blog describes the ins and outs of what I had to do to prepare for going abroad. It’s a lot of work even to begin the studying abroad process. Applying to the school, paying certain application fees, and getting my student visa approved; all these steps were intimidating at first. But with the help of the Global Engagement Office (GEO) at UM, I’ve made it to France (and I’m excited to be here).
Scroll down to learn more about my journey to Amiens and gain a better understanding of the process that takes you from being interested in studying abroad to stepping off the plane into a foreign country.
The First Steps:
The very first steps in studying abroad are understanding your options and then applying to a program. Students at UM can either study through the International Student Exchange Programs (ISEP), UM’s partner universities, or through Faculty-Directed Study Abroad Programs.
To start, talk to your student advisor about options to determine what program is best for you. After that, you complete an application with your desired program and then schedule an interview with the Global Engagement Office (GEO). You will be asked about the details of your experience being in a foreign country, if any, or why you’re deciding to study abroad.
After being accepted by UM’s GEO, you will register for the “Pre-Departure Orientation Course”, which is a class you’ll take at UM that prepares you for studying abroad. This course is designed to help you understand your resources while abroad. For me, I took a lot of value in the discussions of culture shock and the W curve of how your mental experience abroad might change.
You will also need to complete an application with either your host university or your ISEP application, depending on your program. After being accepted into your university, you will be guided through checklists of things you will need to do that are specific to your country/host university.
These pre-trip things to do include completing your Study Plan Approval Form (SPAF) to earn credit while abroad. You’ll also apply for health insurance, purchase your plane tickets, and get your student visa, among other things. It can be very overwhelming to get all of these things done on time, but GEO is there to help you!
Important Things to Consider:
Applying for Housing
Figuring out where you’ll live while abroad is crucial. You can be placed in a dorm, or you may need to go apartment hunting and find roommates, and you may even have to get furniture, depending on your program.
Buying a Plane Ticket
It can be difficult to balance plane ticket prices and arrival dates when planning to study abroad. You can either wait until you have the confirmed start dates of your program before booking your flight or book a flight beforehand - just make sure that it is changeable or refundable to avoid headaches if you get the date wrong.
Transportation Details
If you don’t travel much, my advice is to book with a decent amount of time between each step, just in case something runs late. Also, don’t be afraid to ask security personnel for help, that’s what they’re there for (trust me, I know!).
Student Visa:
It is important that you start the student visa process as soon as possible. You will need many documents for the application. These may include your passport, proof of financial support, proof of housing, and other documents, depending on the host country. See more details about my student visa experience below.
My Experience Getting a Student Visa
Getting my student visa to study in France was the most difficult and time-consuming part of my preparation to study abroad. I needed to compile all these legal documents and print them out for the appointment. After gathering the documents, I had to schedule an appointment at the TLS Center in Seattle, Washington.
I had to reschedule this appointment three times. First, I put the wrong appointment date, and then my plane to Seattle got canceled, so it took me a month to schedule the appointment. After I gave them the documents at the appointment, they were sent to Washington, DC. Two days later, I received my passport with my approved visa.
Preparing for Culture Shock
I was very anxious about studying abroad, which distracted me from the excitement of what I was really doing. I found it difficult to understand the extent of what I was committing to: six months in a foreign country, speaking a foreign language without my friends or family supporting me.
In the GEO preparatory course, they discuss the “W Curve” of culture shock. This describes the excitement when you first arrive, a dip in confidence, and then feeling more comfortable. This process then repeats itself when you return home. Understanding the realities and coming to terms with the difficulties I would face due to culture shock gave me the tools to support myself while abroad.
Getting Ready for the Language Immersion
When preparing for my study abroad experience in Amiens, I adjusted my life to better prepare for the language immersion. I changed the language on my phone to French, discovered French music, and even set my phone’s time to a 24-hour format and my weather app to Celsius to help me adjust to the culture.
This came in handy when I was at the train station in Paris, trying to understand what it meant for a train to leave at 16h00. These small adjustments helped me prepare for the little details that would otherwise catch me off guard.
Traveling Overseas
The last step of starting a studying abroad experience is arriving in your host country safely. When I left the US, there were some bumps along the way. My plane got delayed, and I missed my train from Paris to Amiens. This was frustrating, but I knew I could figure out what to do, so I got a later train and kept on my way toward Amiens.
When I got to my dormitory in Amiens, I had no bedding for that night since I had arrived late, and I had no towels or anything to make me feel comfortable. I spent that night sleeping with piles of clothes on top of me to keep warm.
Yes, it was a difficult first night abroad. I was missing my family, I felt completely out of place, and I had no idea what was ahead of me. However, these experiences reminded me why I was there: to challenge myself and grow as a student, but more importantly as a person. I knew that things would get easier and that there would be initial problems or hurdles to overcome to feel secure and at home. Expanding your knowledge and comfort is never easy, and these first nights proved to me that I could do this.
Bienvenue to France!
Even though it was a journey going from being interested in studying abroad to spending that first night sleeping in Amiens without bedding, the true adventure started the next day. Being in Amiens has challenged me, but I’ve made some great friends and am taking classes that I wouldn’t have the opportunity to take at UM. And I can already tell that it is well worth the struggle.
Stay tuned for my next blog detailing my experience here, including my favorite (and least favorite) parts about studying abroad!!!!!
Madison Knapp est une étudiante de l’Université de Montana, elle étude l’écriture créative et le Français. Elle vient dehors de Montana, de Bellingham Washington, et elle a aimé bien ses études à UM. Elle est aussi une étudiante du DHC et une fière partie de la Grizzly Marching Band.
