University of Michigan Beyond Ann Arbor

For sure, Ann Arbor is a perfect place for living and studying. You will have one of the best universities and one of the best Christmas markets here at the time. However, University of Michigan can go beyond the nice town. With the help of Center for Global and Intercultural Study (CGIS), you can learn new knowledge with new buddies in a new environment!

Participating in the exchange program between University of Michigan and Sciences Po – Paris, I spent the past autumn in this beautiful, fashion, and historical city. Reading by the riverside of Seine, you will be able to feel the charm held this city. Truly, Paris, as a metropolitan, has heavy traffics and large population. It’s not as silent as that in Town. However, the gentle wind in evening should be enough to calm you done and get you ready for another busy day.

The education here is a little bit different compared to that in Ann Arbor. For exchange students, most courses only have a two-hour lecture per week, together with tons of readings. Furthermore, the professors here usually don’t hold regular office hours. Most professors prefer appointment by email to setting regular. Therefore, most of the time, you are on your own!

Being a university student here has great advantage for those who love paintings and sculptures. With your student ID, which shows you are a university student in the border of European Union, you can enter the museums, for free! Finally, if you decide to spend your fall semester here, you for sure will encounter the annual European Heritage Day. On European Heritage Day, the French presidential residence, Élysée Palace, will be open to the public during the weekend. Usually people start to wait in line from 6am, though the opening time for tour is usually 9am, in order to utilize this two-day period of special offer.

By Ziyi Wu

University of Michigan Class of 2020

Political Science Major

VP of Internal Affairs, Pi Sigma Alpha

Member, International Center Student Council