{"id":76923,"date":"2026-02-03T08:06:38","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T15:06:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/?p=76923"},"modified":"2026-02-03T08:06:38","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T15:06:38","slug":"lumberjacks-abroad-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/lumberjacks-abroad-france\/","title":{"rendered":"Lumberjacks Abroad: France"},"content":{"rendered":"

Madelein John<\/span><\/b>\u00a0will be walking on the stage this fall as she graduates\u00a0with not one, not\u00a0two, but\u00a0<\/span>three\u00a0<\/span><\/i>degrees\u2014two from NAU and\u00a0a third\u00a0from the University of Bordeaux, where she experienced a year abroad through\u00a0the\u00a0<\/span>Interdisciplinary Global Programs<\/span><\/a>. Read what advice this native Arizonan has\u00a0for those who want to\u00a0learn a new language and where she is headed next to get her master\u2019s degree in\u00a0cancer\u00a0sciences.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Where did you study and why did you choose this\u00a0particular country\u00a0for your study abroad program?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I studied abroad at the University of Bordeaux for one year through the Interdisciplinary Global Programs (IGP). Although I had previously studied abroad in France, I had never visited Bordeaux, so I was excited to discover a new part of France. The University of Bordeaux particularly appealed to me because it offered the chance to earn a third degree through a dual-degree program. This combination of studying abroad, earning an\u00a0additional\u00a0degree\u00a0and completing an internship abroad made NAU and the IGP program the ideal choice for me as I knew it would set me apart for future graduate studies or career opportunities. In fact, this experience has already shaped my path as I am now preparing to study abroad again, pursuing an MSc in Cancer Sciences through the Barts Cancer Institute at Queen Mary University of London.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Madeline<\/a>What class(es)\u00a0or research did you complete while abroad, and for how long?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My goal while I was abroad was to earn a third degree from the University of Bordeaux. As a result, I mostly took the same classes as the other final-year French students. I completed 10 out of the 12 courses in French. In January, I began my\u00a06-month\u00a0internship at the Institute of Chemistry & Biology of Membranes & Nano-objects (CBMN)\u00a0in Bordeaux,\u00a0where I studied\u00a0glioblastoma stem cell migration\u00a0in a 3D environment. Although completing coursework and an internship simultaneously was challenging, I thoroughly enjoyed my internship.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How did you\u00a0fund\u00a0your study abroad experience?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Living in Bordeaux turned out to be far more affordable than life in Flagstaff. My studio apartment\u00a0cost\u00a0just under 400 euros per month, and\u00a0a good meal\u00a0at the student dining hall was only 3.30 euros. Before\u00a0departing, I worked and saved as much as I\u00a0could,\u00a0and I was grateful for some support from my family. I was also a recipient of the Education Abroad\u00a0Rise Scholarship,\u00a0which helped make this experience possible. Finally, I was also\u00a0paid\u00a0during my internship. In France, interns who work longer than\u00a0two\u00a0months\u00a0are required to\u00a0be paid,\u00a0so I was paid just over\u00a0four\u00a0euros an hour.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What aspects of your host country do you find the most different than your home country, and why?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I found the French academic system to be the most different and difficult part of studying abroad in Bordeaux. Students are graded out of 20 points where a 10\/20 is passing. From an American perspective, it sounds like it would be\u00a0pretty easy\u00a0to earn at least a 50% to pass, right? This is\u00a0actually not\u00a0the case in\u00a0France,\u00a0and it is surprisingly difficult to earn. In my French cohort,\u00a0only 28% of students earned an overall grade of at least 10\/20\u00a0to pass and earn their degree. The reason\u00a0I believe this\u00a0is difficult is that students typically receive\u00a0two to three\u00a0grades per course. For example, I had only two graded assignments in my immunology course: a lab practical at the beginning of the semester worth 15% of my grade and the final exam worth the other 85%. That said, this system\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0impossible,\u00a0just different. Once I learned to pace my studying, things became much more manageable. My biggest advice for anyone considering studying in France is to stay organized from the start and not to hesitate to ask questions.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What was your\u00a0language-learning\u00a0process?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since I had previously studied abroad in\u00a0<\/span>NAU\u2019s\u00a0Vichy Program<\/span><\/a>, I arrived in Bordeaux with a solid foundation in French.\u00a0I always recommend that other students consider an experience like this,\u00a0because it truly helped prepare me for my year abroad. To keep improving, I tried to expose myself\u00a0to\u00a0as much French as I could. I watched French shows, listened to French\u00a0music\u00a0and tried to integrate the language into my daily routine. My favorite piece of advice for anyone learning another language is to watch reality TV from that country and in that language. Watching French reality TV shows taught me\u00a0everyday\u00a0slang and how people\u00a0actually speak. By the time I arrived in France, I was already familiar with the vocabulary and way of speaking that is not always taught in class.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tell us about your favorite\u2014and\/or least favorite\u2014dish abroad.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bread and pastries are\u00a0probably what\u00a0I miss the most in France. I loved stopping by my local bakery after class for a pain\u00a0suisse\u00a0or picking up a baguette. Occasionally, I treated myself to canel\u00e9s from La Toque\u00a0Cuivr\u00e9e, a Bordeaux specialty I highly recommend. If I\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0at the student dining hall for lunch (Crous), I\u00a0loved\u00a0making\u00a0a simple jambon beurre, a baguette with ham and butter. Food at the Crous was also always delicious and healthy, and I wish the American dining halls were more like this.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How has this study abroad experience influenced your personal,\u00a0academic\u00a0and career goals? Has it\u00a0opened up\u00a0new possibilities or changed your direction?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Living and studying in Bordeaux showed me that I love experiencing new cultures and life in\u00a0new places.\u00a0During my internship studying glioblastoma, I discovered how interested I am in cancer research.\u00a0I developed new research and laboratory skills\u00a0and also\u00a0became more confident and independent as I learned to navigate daily life in another country.\u00a0Studying in Bordeaux encouraged me to explore further international academic opportunities and because of this experience, I am\u00a0excited\u00a0to be pursuing a\u00a0master’s in\u00a0cancer\u00a0sciences at the\u00a0<\/span>Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London<\/span>\u00a0starting in\u00a0January.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Madelein John\u00a0will be walking on the stage this fall as she graduates\u00a0with not one, not\u00a0two, but\u00a0three\u00a0degrees\u2014two from NAU and\u00a0a third\u00a0from the University of Bordeaux, where she experienced a year abroad through\u00a0the\u00a0Interdisciplinary Global Programs. Read what advice this native Arizonan has\u00a0for those who want to\u00a0learn a new language and where she is headed next to get…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":100,"featured_media":76926,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1821,1829],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lumberjacks-abroad","category-student-edition"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76923","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/100"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76923"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76923\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}