To whom it may concern in the Harvard vicinitas,
Greetings from the beautiful city of Paris, also known as my home for the rest of the spring semester. How’s Cambridge? Don’t answer that.
In this new column, “Abreast on Abroad,” I want to write a love letter from across the pond, detailing my wild life while living in the “City of Love.”
In a recent Independent article written by Heidi Heffelfinger ’26 and Mia Wilcox ’28, my perfect little sister, Ivy Kargman ’28, attested to some normal feelings of anxiety regarding study abroad, such as potential “FOMO” and simply living far away. I mean, who in their right mind would trade a HUDS bagel for a €1.50 scorching-hot, rippable, and dippable baguette? Psychos. That’s the answer.
All jokes aside, deciding to study abroad was hard. The faculty in Harvard’s tiny-but-perfect Romance Languages and Literature department are family to me. I love my extracurriculars (shoutout to the Advocate and Chabad), and I have the BEST friends (if we’ve talked since I’ve been abroad, I love you).
However, since the lack of travel with the pandemic, there was so much I craved to do and see, and I wasn’t sure when—or if—I’d get the chance. Like many Harvard students, I am extremely Type-A and have a set vision for what I want my life to look like. Last summer, however, I traveled to Paris with my best friend, and the city has been singing a siren-song to me ever since.
Back when I had TikTok—I’m now a hypocritical Reels gal—I would scroll through idyllic European videos for hours just to put off the fifteen minute trek from the Quad to the river. Between the endless, on-campus opportunities and Harvard’s lukewarm attitude toward studying abroad, the idea of taking the leap felt more like a pipe-dream than potential reality. One of my best friends even reflected, “I thought this was going to be one of those things that one of our friends says they’re going to do, but never really do it.” #ThanksForTheFaith
Another major hesitation about studying abroad is the buildup to the decision. It’s one thing to skip a night at Grendel’s to churn out a 250-word “Why I want to go to Paris” essay, but it’s another thing to actually get on that plane. I mean, you only get eight semesters at the greatest place on earth, you know?
That said, for all its flaws, Harvard has been an incredible college experience so far, and I am SO excited to get right back to Cambridge come fall.
BUT.
I have never felt more challenged—or received a better education—than simply existing in Paris these past two months.
I spend every moment of every day studying a language I love. All my professors are native speakers whose English is horrific—my personal favorite example being an unfortunate mispronunciation of “apri-CUNT” instead of “apricot.” My classrooms are adorned with mahogany and frescoes, perfect for daydreaming, and I have access to the most fascinating courses. My new friends and I are taking everything from “The Science of Fashion” to “European Economics: A Focus on Bitcoin.” When you step outside the Harvard bubble, mentally, physically, emotionally, and academically, you will find there is a world of opportunities.
Before this semester, I had never considered taking a film class. Now, I’m in two: “World History Through Cinema” and “French Cinema of the 21st Century.” We spend class time watching films and then analyzing everything from the color of an actor’s shoe to the sex position chosen by the director—which is, of course, very French.
While Harvard is “the best of the best,” I would argue it is the best at what it offers, which is ultimately limited.
Between core requirements and jumping through concentration-hoops, a student realistically only has a couple courses that they can take “for pleasure.” In addition, many faculty members have reflected that most of their out-of-the-box course proposals are denied (hello to my current “History of Prostitution” course). These two points mixed with the fact that venturing into deep Cambridge doesn’t push me out of my comfort zone (not you, Hi-Rise Bakery) demonstrate why taking my funky classes abroad—for credit I might add—has been the best academic decision I have ever made.
As countless study-abroad articles have echoed before me, travel in Europe is insanely accessible, which is already a type of education on its own. Countries I never dreamed of visiting (and others I’ve always longed to see) are just a short, spontaneous ride away—you read that right, I firmly believe we should go anywhere once. In just two months, I’ve traveled nationally to Lyon, Dijon, and Chantilly, and internationally to Edinburgh, Fife, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Madrid, and most recently Oslo. My grandmother keeps asking how I function every day.
Admittedly, some of these trips were chosen simply to say I have visited *cough* Oslo, but others were well thought-out and planned in just 20 minutes, given the easy train system. Yes, students in the U.S. travel home or visit friends at other schools, but when have you ever heard someone say: “I really want to check out Rhode Island this weekend?” If I am going to be trapped with this Eager-Beaver-Planner brain, for better or worse, I might as well have the opportunity to explore and pretend to be spontaneous. Plus, traveling is a huge passion of mine—not to check off boxes, but to connect with people and learn about new cultures through my own experiences. Should I just become an influencer at this point?
So, if you would like to read about “what dreams are made of” as I live out my Lizzie McGuire-abroad-fantasies, look out for my next article, “ScareBnBs” coming soon!
Xo,
Sadie
Sadie Kargman ’26 (sadiekargman@college.harvard.edu) is currently starring as your favorite Shitstain in Paris.