Orientation and Activities
Orientation
There are many ways you will engage with Skidmore and UMN staff before you depart for Montpellier. Skidmore will host an in-person pre-departure orientation before you depart campus. Additionally, UMN will host a series of pre-departure webinars where all program participants (Skidmore, UMN and non-UMN students) will come together to prepare for their departure. Once on-site in Montpellier, the UMN staff will start orientation to get you acquainted with the city, your courses and partner institutions and each other.
Excursions
The excursions and cultural activities are considered an integral part of the Skidmore program that complements students’ coursework. Regardless of which program track in Montpellier you participate in, you and your fellow students will have many opportunities for program sponsored excursions.
Typically, each semester offers at least three different day excursions open to all students on the program. Examples include:
- Aigues-Mortes and the Mediterranean Sea
- Arles and the Carrières de Lumière
- Avignon and Fontaine de Vaucluse
- Nimes and Pont-du-Gard
- Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert
- Anduze and the bamboo forest
The UMN center also organizes at least one optional longer excursions. These excursions are not included in the program fee but are affordable options for group travel. Examples include:
- Wars, Wine and Wonders: Exploring Western France (One week touring Mont Saint-Michel, Normandy, D-Day beaches, Loire Valley castles, Bordeaux and St. Emilion)
- Morocco (One week in Fez, Morocco)
In addition to the excursions, the program’s social assistants (local university students) organize activities in Montpellier that help students to get to know Montpellier and opportunities to meet French students.
