While riding in a taxi to the airport two weeks ago, I felt a mix of apprehension and a need for contemplation. I was simultaneously reflecting on an adventure-filled winter break and fall semester and forecasting my next semester in Paris. I jotted down a list of ins and outs in anticipation of this article, and I now return to them after completing a two-week orientation in France. As I gear up to start classes, here are the things I plan to carry and discard on this journey.
In: French
Two weeks ago, my number one fear of going abroad was French immersion. My program is entirely in French, and my host family can only speak to me in French. With just four semesters of Harvard French instruction under my belt, I had little confidence in my ability to take math, history, and art classes in French and communicate with my host family. Now, only two weeks later, I find myself already embracing the language, and it will be my “in” language for this semester (obviously, this column will be an exception).
Out: English
Since French immersion is the thing du jour this semester, English will have to take the backseat. All my classes will be in French, so I have little choice there, but the real challenge has been and will continue to be diving into the real francophone world. Despite the stereotypes that might suggest otherwise, I have gotten a very positive response rate when I speak French to shopkeepers and waiters, so hopefully by the end of the semester, I will stop getting English responses!
In: Espresso
Would I really be a study abroad student if I didn’t sing the high praises of drinking European espresso? Far from a coffee snob, I cannot say that my palate is refined enough to notice a meaningful difference between the espresso at my local café and the one in my iced coffees from Pavement. I will say, however, that European coffee culture is far superior. This semester, sitting with friends and sipping on espresso for hours is definitely in. The light jolt of energy, the ambiance of a Parisian café, and good (French!) conversation make for a relaxing and entertaining afternoon. Ironically, this caffeine break asks one to slow down instead of speed up.
Out: Iced Coffee
Since I’ve established that caffeine is for slowing down, ordering iced coffee to pick up before your mad dash to class is now out. Academically speaking, studying abroad offers an opportunity to take classes like art history or studio art, allowing for a break from the usual intense p-set workload. Late-night study sessions are no longer a necessity, so there’s no urgent need to start the day with a nitro cold brew. Even if I did want iced coffee, it is overpriced and hard to find compared to the ubiquitous European espresso.
In: Trains
After a summer of commuting into Boston on the Red Line, I was shocked to see how efficient and packed the French Metro is. With such an expansive map of lines, you can truly get anywhere in Paris (and the rest of Europe, for that matter!) by train. The best part is that taking the trains in Paris is culturally very normalized. A late-night train on a Friday is just as full as an afternoon one, making me feel much safer than riding the T in Boston. With all that, trains are in this semester.
Out: Ubers
With such convenient, safe public transportation, taking an Uber feels almost sinful. I am proud to say I have been quite angelic thus far with zero Ubers taken. There will come a time when, for safety purposes, I will have to call an Uber. But for a dinner reservation that’s only twenty minutes away by train or walking distance? Forget about it. Not only do Ubers drain your travel funds, but sitting in a car makes you miss out on getting a sneak peek into Parisian daily life (and fashion!) from people-watching on the train. I’ve gained a new appreciation for the old adage: life is not just about getting from point A to point B as fast as possible, but slowing down and enjoying yourself along the way.
In: Reading
Since I have established my love of trains and the large role they play in my daily life, I’d be remiss to leave out my favorite train activity besides people-watching: reading. Nothing makes a train ride go faster than a good book, but speaking from experience, it’s important to not get so engrossed in your book that you miss your stop. Beyond the train, books are great company in cafés or parks, fitting seamlessly with the slowed-down lifestyle of studying abroad.
Out: Doomscrolling
There’s no better way to ruin your sleep schedule or waste time on the train than by doomscrolling on Instagram Reels or TikTok. I have not completely made this an “out” yet—it’s hard to delete Instagram when I have to keep everyone back home updated with @frannytakesflight. To make social media feel more intentional, I downloaded the OneSec app, which makes you take a deep breath before opening Instagram. Now, I try my best to open up the New York Times Games app or send a text to a friend when I go on my phone instead. I would hate to leave one of the most beautiful cities in the world with the thought that I wasted my time there doomscrolling on my phone.
In: YOLO (You Only Live Once)
The most important element of having a stellar study abroad experience is your mindset. I plan to spend my time this semester trying new and exciting things that I could never do in Cambridge. Whether it be weekend trips to ride camels in Morocco or adventures across Paris like trying oysters from a street vendor, this is the semester I plan to live life to the fullest and adopt a “Yes, and…” attitude. After all, you only study abroad once, so the YOLO mindset is IN.
Out: FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)
In any conversation with a Harvard student about term-time study abroad, the topic of FOMO (fear of missing out) inevitably comes up. Cries of “you only have eight semesters here” are inescapable, and they reflect the underlying fear of many of my classmates: not optimizing one’s time at Harvard. I understand the concerns about missing friends and social events, and I had to wrestle with the idea of studying abroad a lot before I came to terms with it. Yet, as an Applied Math and Economics concentrator, I can’t help but bring up the concept of diminishing marginal returns: the novelty of your first semester abroad gives you much more benefit than your eighth semester at Harvard. When microeconomics is not comforting enough, I remind myself that Harvard will still be here when I come back in the fall. In the meantime I get to embark on an amazing, life-changing semester that will be filled with adventure, personal growth, and a lot of croissants.
The girl who wrote down that list of ins and outs just two weeks ago got a lot of things right about studying abroad. So far, my time in Paris has been marked by both a relaxed pace of life and daily doses of adventure. I’m excited to live in Paris for the next four months, and I look forward to sharing it with all of you in this column, A Broad, Abroad vol. 2.
Franny Connors ’26 (maryfrancesconnors@college.harvard.edu) is studying abroad with CUPA in Paris this spring, and she can’t stop talking about it.