study abroad

A Home Away From Home: Staying With a Host Family During Your Study Abroad Experience

Marion Patsalides having dinner with the Kreuger family in Strasbourg, France

Strasbourg, France may be a long way from Marion Patsalides home in Connecticut but she had a family looking out for her from the moment she arrived for her study abroad experience. Patsalides spent the fall semester with Claire Kreuger and her family at their home just a short walk from Syracuse University’s Strasbourg Center.

“One of the biggest benefits for me has been having people I can communicate with and get advice from on a daily basis.  I’m still getting better at French, so being able to have someone who speaks English and French and understands the local customs really helped,” says Patsalides.

Kreuger and her husband are originally from Canada but have lived in Strasbourg for years.

“We love living in France and in particular living in Strasbourg. This is such a great city and a great country to live in. The best part of hosting students from Syracuse is getting to share this city with them and getting to see it through new eyes,” says Kreuger.

“Had I been in an apartment or a dorm, I really feel like I would have struggled a lot to manage getting groceries and planning my own meals all the time in a different country.  I appreciate home cooked meals daily,” said Patsalides. “Having a family I could ask for help really saved me multiple times.  I will always feel like I was lucky to end up with the Kreugers.” 

Host families are much more than housing and meals. The Kreugers lent Patsalides a bicycle so she could explore the city.

“When you strike up the courage and get on a bike in Strasbourg, the world opens up at your feet. We live right in the city center so everything we need is within a 15 minute radius by walking, tram or cycling,” says Kreuger. “While Strasbourg is very conveniently located for weekend getaways to London, Berlin or Barcelona, there is a lot to see and do right outside our door.”

From little things like help finding a pharmacy to a welcoming home to come back to each night, Patasalides says the support she has received from the Kreugers has made her study abroad experience more enjoyable on multiple levels.

“Living with a host family absolutely adds to the experience of studying abroad.  Both the advice I’ve gotten from Claire about assimilating to French culture and especially with working out how to interact with professors have really helped me,” says Patasalides. “I live in the middle of a beautiful city, but it’s been wonderful to have such a place to call home while I am here.”

Marion Patsalides with the Kreuger family in Strasbourg, France
Marion Patsalides with the Kreuger family in Strasbourg, France

Studying Abroad at the Crossroads of Europe

The Syracuse University center in Strasbourg, France offers an incredible study abroad experience for Engineering and Computer Science students. Located in eastern France on the border of Germany, Strasbourg is centrally located with easy access to Switzerland, Belgium and Italy.

“The study abroad program is part of why I choose Syracuse in the first place,” says Emma Crandall ’25. “Strasbourg was one of the places they made it really easy for me as an engineering major.”

“I love the city. One of my favorite things is how easy it is to get around,” says Declan Wavle ’25. “It’s really an amalgamation of all different cultures coming together.”

Specially designed programs for second year students allow them to take required courses they need and remain on track for graduation.

“Syracuse does a very good job of making sure we stay on track as engineers even when we are studying abroad,” says Arturo Venegas ’25. “I am taking almost all my courses I need to take for this sophomore year. Which is amazing since that means there is no disruption to my four-year plan”

“That’s one of the best things about this program. You don’t have to sacrifice anything as an engineer,” says Tyler Lavaway ’25.

electrical engineering lab in Strasbourg
An electrical engineering lab at INSA in Strasbourg, France

Syracuse University students get to take some of their classes at France’s National Institute of Applied Science. All classes are taught in English.

“You don’t have to speak French to study in Strasbourg, there is no language requirement but I always say you have to want to learn,” says assistant director Mary Boyington. “You can have a wonderful opportunity, take French classes, live with a host family and learn the French language in an everyday environment.”

“It is really cool how you get to see you major done a different way and it is eye opening,” says Wavle. “You know there is a whole other world out there but you don’t experience it until you are actually there.”

A restaurant in the Petite France area of Strasbourg, France
A restaurant in the Petite France area of Strasbourg, France
Strasbourg, France

International Experiences: Computer Science Study Abroad in London

Within weeks of arriving in London, computer science student Jovanni Mosca ’24 knew his semester abroad would be a life changing experience. He was living just outside central London, had traveled to multiple other countries in Europe and getting an up-close look at how global companies operate.

“We have a global major since we are creating software and technologies that spread around the world but we often don’t have knowledge of all the context that our work is going to be part of. So this is a valuable experience,” says Mosca.

A program uniquely designed for Syracuse University computer science students allows them to take courses they need in London and stay on track for a four year graduation. Kwaku Amofah-Boafo ’24 was thrilled to be taking his required classes mixed in with experiences across the United Kingdom.

“The best part of Study Abroad is interacting with the city,” says Amofah-Boafo. “Seeing that my major is computer science, visiting these places has given me the opportunity to see if I want to work abroad or work oversees in the future.”

Syracuse University’s London Center is based out of Faraday House in the West End. Students can take classes there and receive support from Syracuse University faculty and staff.

“I feel like Faraday House is your own little home space in London,” says Mosca. “Having the diverse faculty is cool. They are people of all different backgrounds who are either working in industry or teaching.”

“The classes are smaller, you interact more and I think that leads to better experiences in the classroom and the work you do,” says Amofah-Boafo.

The Syracuse Abroad computer science program is London is designed for the fall semester of a student’s junior year.

“Getting a chance to see what it is like to live here on a day to day basis and see people working has made me think about it in the future,” says Amofah-Boafo.

“It is an opportunity that will change your life, how you look at the world and it is invaluable,” said Mosca.