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ON CAMPUS Study Abroad? Mais Oui! Columbia's Reid Hall in Paris Is More Popular Than Ever; Applications Are on the Rise
By A. Dunlap-Smith ince 1964, when Mrs. Ogden Reid gave Columbia the keys to an early 18th century hunting lodge at 4 rue de Chevreuse in Paris, Columbia University in Paris at Reid Hall has become one of the nation's most renowned programs for study abroad. Today, despite the availability of academic programs just about anywhere on the globe, Reid Hall is more popular than ever among American students.
This fall 69 students are enrolled in Columbia's undergraduate program in Paris, the largest class since 1991. The summer's enrollment of 58 set a record for that term, outdistancing the previous record of 41, set the summer before. The recent information session for CU's undergraduate program at Reid Hall attracted 50 Columbia and Barnard students, about 20 more than the average for this event; this was undoubtedly a factor in the 10% increase in applications over last year at this time. Though not all students at Reid Hall are from Columbia, the College, along with Barnard, usually sends one of the largest contingents. Two other Columbia programs, sponsored by the Architecture School and by GSAS respectively, contribute some 20 students of their own. "The program has become increasingly selective because of the jump in applications that we've had during the past few years," Associate Provost and Reid Hall Director Danielle Haase-Dubosc said; "we simply couldn't accommodate all the students who want to come here." Administrators cite several reasons for the boom in interest for studying abroad. The strength of the U.S. currency is an obvious factor. Not since the economic high times of the mid-80s has the dollar bought so much overseas, particularly in European Community (EC) countries whose monies are struggling under stringent economic guidelines for the creation of a single currency. Dean of the Division of Special Programs, Frank Wolf, who is responsible for four study-abroad programs, credits good reviews from former students for the growth of interest not only in the Paris program, but also in the Berlin and Beijing programs. "We've found that students with a choice of overseas programs are increasingly choosing ours," Wolf said, "which tells us that the word on this and other campuses about what we have to offer is good—and it's growing." But most important from a student's standpoint is simply the challenge of a new learning environment. Jennifer Alzona, a Columbia College junior from Washington, D.C., who will study in Paris this spring, is looking forward to life in unfamiliar surroundings. "Though New York is a big city, Columbia is a small school, and after two and a half years here, new surroundings and a chance to focus on studying the language and literature of one culture is really motivating," she said.
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