Mount Holyoke Program in Montpellier

We are still accepting applications for Spring 2010 (but not for Laurel Fellowships); apply by September 30!         

The City of Montpellier
Academic Program
Program Director
Housing
Fees
Requirements and Application

The City of Montpellier
The city of Montpellier, population 250,000, is the capital of the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France.  Home to a renowned university system and nearly 70,000 students, Montpellier serves as an important intellectual and technological center.  Its peope and the charming historic city center epitomize the warm and friendly culture of southern France. 

With beautifully preserved architecture dating back to the Middle Ages and ultra-modern cultural and sporting facilities, Montpellier is an exiting blend of the old and the new.  This dynamic city is home to one of France's premier art museums, the Musée Fabre, and boasts national dance, music, theater, and cinema festivals that attract visitors from across Europe.   

Montpellier is located just seven miles from the Mediterranean coast; the beach towns of Palavas, Carnon and La Grande Motte are just a short bus ride from the center of town (15-20 minutes). Les Cevennes, the mountainous region just north of Montpellier, offers excellent day hiking around medieval villages such as Saint Guilhem le Désert. Montpellier is a hub for both train and air travel around Europe. Spain is only 3 hours by train and the Italian border is only 4 hours away. The TGV from Montpellier to Paris takes just 3 hours, making it an easy (and inexpensive, with discounted train tickets for students) weekend getaway. There are regular flights from Montpellier to London, Dublin, and many other European cities. The airport in Montpellier is located 15 minutes from the city center and there is a shuttle bus that runs every half hour. The train station is located in the center of Montpellier, a 5-minute walk from the central plaza, la Place de la Comédie.

Academic Program
Students enroll in regular courses alongside French students at Université Paul Valéry, the liberal arts campus of the University of Montpellier.  This unique opportunity allows MHC students to experience French university life firsthand, to sample a wide variety of courses, and to make friends with French students.  UPV is located in a 25-acre park within walking distance of downtown Montpellier. More than 15,000 students are enrolled each year in a wide range of courses in the humanities and social sciences.  UPV is renowned in France for its outstanding welcome and integration of foreign students into university classes  The friendly staff of the Service des Relations Internationales assists Program Director Amy Loth with the course registration process and is available to answer your questions during your studies at UPV. 

Students with a strong background in French who are majoring in the sciences or mathematics may qualify to take one course per semester at the Université des Sciences et Mathématiques, conveniently located across the street from UPV. 

Dance majors or minors may qualify to take contemporary and classical dance classes at the Conservatoire de Montpellier. 

The academic year runs from mid-August to mid-May.  Students may enroll for the full academic year, for fall semester only (mid-August to the third week in December), or for spring semester (early January to mid-May). 

Fall and full-year students also participate in the Préstage, an intensive language session conducted by faculty and staff of UPV.  The Préstage is designed to help bring students' French language skills to a level that will enable them to participate confidently in classes and seminars at the university.  (UPV does not offer a Préstage in the spring.)  All students also participate in an orientation program coordinated by Amy Loth prior to the start of classes.  During orientation, students will learn about Montpellier and its environs, prepare for the academic system at UPV, and enjoy a variety of activities that will introduce them to French life and culture. 

Program Director
The on-site program director, Amy Gosselin Loth (MHC '94), organizes orientation and housing, and is available throughout the year to respond to students' academic and practical concerns.  Amy spent her own junior year at UPV, and has been directing the MHC program since its inception in 1998.  She is now a permanent resident of France. 

Students are welcome to contact Amy at any time with questions about the program at amyloth@yahoo.com.

Housing
The MHC Program in Montpellier offers two housing options: homestays or furnished apartments. Homestays provide a unique opportunity to experience first-hand the ways in which family life reflects cultural and personal differences, from attitudes toward food and privacy to socio-economic factors that affect one's daily life.  They are also an ideal way for students to practice their French outside of the classroom setting.  Homestay students typically have breakfast each day, and dinner five days a week, with their hosts.  Students who are interested in a homestay should consult with Amy Loth upon their acceptance to the program.

Students may instead choose to live in furnished apartments, with other program participants, which offers a more typical French student lifestyle.  All apartments are located within short walking distances from each other, as well as from Amy Loth's own apartment, in the historic downtown district of Montpellier. Apartments are fully furnished and are mostly doubles and triples with one or two bedrooms (single bedrooms are not guaranteed), a kitchen, a living room, and a bathroom with either a shower or a bathtub. You will visit the apartments upon arrival in Montpellier and Amy will assist you with the selection process of your roommate(s) and apartment.

Fees
Program fee for 2009-2010 is $18,845 (full year) or $9,925 (either fall or spring semester), including: round-trip airfare from the east coast to Montpellier; four-day orientation program coordinated by Amy Loth; UPV orientation, tuition, and fees; Language Exchange Partner Program; French cooking classes; weekly Cinema Club; transcript services; holiday events; Mountain Day event in the fall and a spring semester excursion.  For fall and year students, the fee also includes Préstage expenses (tuition, housing, meals, and activities).  Students will be responsible for meals on excursions. 

Housing fee for 2009-2010 is as follows:

Homestay Option (including daily breakfast and five dinners per week): $14,125 (full year) or $7,585 (semester). 

Apartment Option (including rent, taxes, and utilities): $11,625 (full year) or $6,585 (semester).

Not included in the program and housing fees are meals (for students living in apartments), books, personal and miscellaneous expenses, additional travel, etc. Students should budget a minimum of $4,925 (full year) or $2,925 (semester) to cover these costs (somewhat less for the Homestay Option), and should expect to spend more if they plan to travel extensively. Students are also responsible for Mount Holyoke's administrative fee of $750 per semester.

Eligible students may expect to use appropriate state and federal financial aid, as well as other outside resources, to participate in the program. Eligible Mount Holyoke students selected for the program are guaranteed Laurel Fellowships provided that they apply by the deadline and qualify for aid on the basis of the program cost; see the Financial Planning section of our web site for details. All students who expect to receive financial aid to participate in the program must submit the Application for Mount Holyoke Laurel Fellowships for Off-Campus Study according to the stated deadline or they will not be eligible for any financial assistance from the College.

Requirements and Application
Students must meet Mount Holyoke’s general requirements for academic leave of absence, including a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.7, that they not be significantly behind in credits, that they present a plan of study abroad that will be suitable to our curriculum and enable them to remain on track to graduate on schedule. They must also have a minimum grade point average in French of 3.0, and meet the French Department’s requirements for study in a Francophone country: they must take at least one four-credit course in French each semester prior to going abroad, and must complete at least one course in culture and literature at the 200 level (215, 219, 225, or 230) prior to their departure for France.

All students are required to have health and medical insurance that will cover them in France (the Mount Holyoke student health insurance plan is available for this purpose). Students who have particular health or medical concerns or requirements are encouraged to discuss them with us in advance so that we can determine whether appropriate resources are available in Montpellier.

Applications are generally due in early December for the following fall or academic year, and at the end of March for the following spring; see Deadlines for details.  We are still accepting applications for Spring 2010 (though not for Laurel Fellowships); apply by September 30.