When I started my study abroad term in September, I had no idea what was in store for me. I had just finished my second year at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). I was excited, but nervous to embark on a journey to Paris – equipped only with a limited background of French and my lifelong, girlhood dream of living there. In the early fall, I set foot in my new, temporary, home university: the American Business School of Paris (ABS).
At UCLA, I take the classes typical of a communications major: public speaking, introduction to communications, and professional writing courses. I also have a minor in entrepreneurship and film, but as someone with a major and double minor, I don’t have much time to explore classes outside these disciplines. Therefore, I knew this semester would be my chance to immerse myself in the world of culture, language, and art – things not typically offered at school. So, I signed up for classes in fashion, art, and language. These classes were not only different in content from my home university, but also different in nature.
My first observation is that my classes abroad were mainly centered around collaborative group work, rather than individual projects. Take my Luxury Marketing class, for example, where our first assignment was to form a group and make a movie trailer for an assigned topic. My group was designated to make a trailer on “greenery in Paris,” so we explored and filmed many different parks and gardens.
This was a common thread found in many of my classes, where the professor would tell students to assign themselves groups, make a group chat, and complete a project together outside of class. For me, this operating system contrasted with what I was used to, where individual work was prioritized, and instead forced me to get to know people in my classes.
Not only was this an excellent way to make friends and meet people from all across the globe, but it also immersed me in many different cultures. In my Fashion Design class, everyone was randomly assigned a group and topic to design a fashion collection with. My group was supposed to create a fashion collection honoring the culture of one of our group members. Each member pitched their culture to the group, and we selected one to honor through fashion.
My group selected India as our country of focus, after hearing about the experiences of my group member from there. By the end of the semester, I had made new friends with my fellow group members, learned all about fashion design (something I never would have studied at UCLA), and explored Indian culture.
A second difference between my classes at ABS and UCLA was the length. ABS classes were three hours long, whereas a typical UCLA class ranges from 50 minutes to two hours. I have taken a few classes at UCLA that were three hours long, but that is the exception rather than the rule. It was certainly an adjustment to learn how to sit through long days of classes at ABS, especially when the classes were back to back, but after I settled into the pattern, I learned to appreciate the extended time and often had the opportunity to get work done in class.
The professors at ABS would always offer a 10-15 minute break halfway through class. Many students used this opportunity to socialize, grab a snack, or take a mental break. I believe that this teaching style provided me with the opportunity to work on my attention span, but it was difficult to stay focused the whole way through. I appreciate the shorter lengths of class at UCLA, where I can maintain focus the entire time and better absorb the information.
There is a huge upside to the 3 hours long classes at ABS: class outings. In many of my classes, professors would organize outings during class to local museums. In my Luxury Marketing class, we got to go to the Fondation Louis Vuitton and explore the “Pop Forever” exhibition. My Fashion Design class toured the Palais Galliera while the Stephen Jones hat exhibition was on display. The extended class time allowed us to get out of the classroom and into the museums of Paris.
A similarity between UCLA and ABS that I found was the enthusiasm of the professors. At both universities, I have been fortunate enough to have professors who are deeply knowledgeable about their subject matter and passionate about passing their expertise to their students. My UCLA professors have always been top-notch, offering students help in and out of the classroom. My ABS professors were incredibly committed to their subjects and craft of educating.
There are certainly cultural differences between my home university in the United States, UCLA, and my study abroad university, ABS, in Paris. The classroom dynamic, class length, and assignment types were dissimilar; however, I found the professors of both universities to be compassionate, devoted, and wise. Experiencing the education style of another university and getting to take classes outside my normal field of study was an incredibly rewarding experience. I developed better communication and focus skills, as well as expanding my arsenal of knowledge into more artistic and cultural categories.
Cate Frist is a student at UCLA and an ISA Featured Blogger. She is studying with ISA in Paris, France.
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