Academic Year Abroad Paris at Paris IV & the Institut Catholique

AYA Directrice in Paris since 1978, Paule Schneersohn has the Maîtrise in American literature and the Diplôme d’Etudes Supérieures et Specialisées in Psychology from the Université de Paris VI. Her rôle is to guide AYA students through the maze of study possibilities, and through the rules, regulations, and procedures they face in Paris, and to assist them whenever possible. Not every student may enroll in every school or in every course—age, credits completed, prior study, and proficiency in French are among the considerations which Madame Schneersohn helps students address. While AYA students attend classes without interference at the Université de Paris IV or the Institut Catholique, Madame Schneersohn maintains contacts with their professors, sees to the organizing of tutorials, and transmits their grades. She helps students with housing, orientation, and academics as well as with obtaining the carte de séjour. She arranges for AYA cultural activities and excursions to such sites as Chartres, Mont Saint Michel, and the Châteaux de la Loire; meets with students at the AYA office in Reid Hall; even prepares the annual Thanksgiving dinner. AYA students come to regard her as teacher, adviser, and friend, their most important link during their period of study abroad to the city and the university.