Top 8 reasons why participating in GEA ended up being a great idea:

8. I got tech electives.

I just finished my sophomore year in aerospace engineering when I decided to study abroad in France.  Having had a horrible summer a year ago consisting of doing nothing all day for four months, I really wanted to accomplish something this time around.  While looking into different options such as internships and research opportunities, I learned about the GEA program.  I was hooked right away; taking a dive into the European aerospace industry and earning credits at the same time seemed very intriguing.  Plus, for me, it was going to be a good chance to put some practical use to the French I learned back in freshman year.

7. Je parle Francais (un peu.)

Needless to say, textbook French really didn’t get me too far.  And it is somewhat true that French people avoid speaking in English (younger people tend to be better at it, and all the students at the host universities spoke excellent English.)  But with an hour of French class everyday, most participants knew enough French by the end of the program to buy train tickets at a station on their own.  Besides, immersing oneself into the natives by going into town for dinner, doing grocery shopping, or taking a day trip to the French countryside at least got me learning some Je voudrais and carafe d’eau in no time.

6. I got a head start in my 400-level classes.

After all, this was a summer “study abroad” program, so I might as well write about classes.  We took classes at four universities in two different regions of France.  Topics ranged from aircraft architecture to combustion, from propulsion to CFD.  Most courses gave us a general overview of each field of aerospace engineering.  We also had classes regarding civil aviation regulations, which in my opinion were the most interesting, because I would never have had the chance to learn such topics at Michigan.  Furthermore, there were a good number of labs (three or four sessions, each containing as many parts) considering that this was a six week program.  We obtained data from a running turbojet engine, made composite plates, and shot potato guns.  All of the labs were application inclined, and added to my practical understanding of the subject matter.  Course load was fairly light; the quizzes were manageable, and the only assignments were reflection essays on the technical and cultural visits (to be explained later in this paper.)

5. I saw how airplanes are made.

During the program, we had six technical visits to various aerospace events and companies.  Although I only knew about Airbus when it came to the European aerospace industry, I learned through these visits that there are many reputable companies all over Europe, and a fair share of them in France.  We visited the factories of Messier-Dowty (landing gear,) Turbomeca (helicopter engines,) Socata (small aircraft,) and Airbus.  The most exciting visit, however, had to be the biennial Paris International Air Show.  This was much like the Detroit Auto Show, but for airplanes.  In the convention centers, aerospace manufacturers from all over the world had booths displaying their products.  I literally could be walking around and seeing a huge turboprop one moment, and then tiny rivets the next.  On the tarmac, airplanes of different sizes and uses were on display, and some even took off for a demonstration flight.  How often can you witness an A380 roaring off the runway within 500 meters of you?  Or sit in the cockpit of a C-130 Hercules?

4. I visited five countries in Europe.

One of the main objectives of the GEA program is to let participants experience French / European culture and landscape.  So, numerous cultural visits were included in our schedule.  We saw medieval castles, beautiful beaches, rocky shores, narrow alleys, gorgeous churches, and glittering nightscapes.   In addition, ample free time was given so that most participants planned out visits of their own.  Including the periods before and after the program, I myself visited London (UK,) Villefranche de Rouergue, Najac (France,) Interlaken, Geneva (Switzerland,) Berlin, Dresden (Germany,) and Stockholm (Sweden.)  Some other popular destinations were Barcelona, Narbonne, Nice, just to name a few.

3. I learned how to plan little things.

Of course, with any trip comes culture shock.  Mainly two things tripped me up the most.  First, almost all shops in France close around 7PM on weekdays, and don’t open at all on the weekends.  Having been brought up with a Kroger or a FamilyMart in the neighborhood open 24/7, this was a really hard change for me.  Also, the Internet situation was not as well equipped as it is in the US.  Computer labs on campus often closed before midnight, and the computers still used old-school CRT displays.  However, all of this started making sense after I got a slight grasp of French culture.  Apparently, the French (and most Europeans in general) are good at planning little things ahead of time, and making the  most of existing resources.  The “planning ahead” bit resonates all across the experiences I had in France; for instance, I had to reserve train tickets weeks in advance, and to do so I had to make time to visit the train station.  And for the second part, all I needed to do to realize was wander around town.  Many of the buildings looked at least sixty, if not a hundred years old, even if the tenant inside was sparkling new.

2. I met amazing people.

This year, there were participants from Embry-Riddle, University of Washington, and University of Waterloo in Canada.  It was extremely exciting to meet aerospace students from all over North America.  Furthermore, I got to interact with some of the local and international students at the host universities.  And last but not least, the GEA staff was hands-down wonderful.  They were helpful and fun in every way. To think that I could only have met all of these people through GEA makes me really happy that I attended this program.  Yes, the classes were informative, the visits interesting, and the travels mind-blowing.  But I truly feel that it’s the “people” that really made the program the experience that it was.  You just can’t get from a textbook or an ordinary classroom.

1. I accomplished something.

I learned how to order a sandwich without eggs in French.  I got "bombed" by a bird at Lyon Part Dieu station.  I adjusted a flame and obtained data from a computer.  I ate duck, rabbit, and snails.  I now have a feel for Fluent.  I felt gravity.  I got flung around on an industrial construction robot.  I saw the sun set into the Atlantic, and into the farmlands of Germany.

So, what do you want to accomplish next summer?