In this edition of From Our Eyes, Ava Brandt (’27 Creative Writing, Documentary Film, and LGBTQ studies minor) shares her experience going abroad to Paris, France, in Fall 2025.

(Left to right): Olivia Greenberg (’27 Graphic Design), Ava Brandt (’27 Creative Writing, Documentary Film, and LGBTQ studies minor), and other study abroad students at the Eiffel Tower! Photo courtesy of Brandt.

When I first came to Chapman, I had no intentions of going abroad – especially to a country on the other side of the world! After all, one of the reasons I chose Chapman was because it was only 30 minutes away from home (aside from their great programs and classes, of course). Going to study in a foreign country was not on my mind when I started classes as a freshman.

As I learned more about it, I immediately discovered how wonderful the opportunity of going abroad is, but I figured I wouldn’t be able to afford it, and it would be too hard to figure out how to transfer my classes and such. So, I kept it in the back of my mind, but assumed it wouldn’t be a real possibility.

Far right Olivia Greenberg (’27 Graphic Design) and next to her (left) Ava Brandt (’27 Creative Writing, Documentary Film, and LGBTQ studies minor) with their friends who came to visit them abroad at Sacré-Cœur in Paris. Photo courtesy of Brandt.

During my sophomore year, I started looking into it more and scheduled a meeting with a global advisor. She walked me through the application process and explained that when studying abroad, I would still pay Chapman tuition with no additional costs, which made it possible for me to do so. So, I started filling out the application and going to meetings.

I decided on Seville, Spain. I would say the hardest part was gathering all of the paperwork for the visa application, and boy, was it a lot. I bet you are wondering, ‘wait, the intro says Paris,’ and you are correct. Over the summer, Spain changed its visa requirements, making it impossible for many students to obtain their visas on time. I was one of those students.

I was devastated, and there was nothing I could do. I felt hopeless.

A month later, I got an email that I had been accepted into the French Riviera program in France. Sounds amazing, right? Until they told me they didn’t have space in the program. What was I going to do?! At this point, I felt defeated. I wasn’t going abroad, and I wasn’t enrolled in any Chapman classes. So now what?

About three weeks before classes were about to start, I got an email that there was space in the CEA CAPA (Cultural Experiences Abroad & CAPA: The Global Education Network) Paris program. Great, Paris. That is supposed to sound sarcastic. By that point, I had already accepted that I wasn’t going abroad and that Paris would probably be a dead end, just like the rest. Right?

Wrong. I completed the visa application–my third one–and got my visa back in less than a week! Filled out the paperwork, sent my documents, and booked my flight to Paris with no classes and no idea if it was going to work out.

I made it to Paris after a 20-hour travel day. My advisors were the nicest people ever and helped me get my schedule. I met my friends I would spend the rest of my time abroad with on the first day, and I got into all my classes the following week.

Getting to Paris was insane, but I could not imagine having spent my time abroad anywhere else. Did I not know the language at all when I went? Yes. Did only two of my classes end up counting for my major? Yes. Did I have the best experience of my life? Yes. Would I do it all over again? 100%.

So I guess what I am trying to say is, if you are thinking about going abroad, go! If you are unsure, go to a meeting! If you haven’t thought about it, do some research! And if you are already planning to go and have submitted the application, I am so excited for you!

You will end up where you are meant to be, and trust me, there is a whole team of people here at Chapman, and wherever you are applying to, that are rooting for you! I know I am!

Learn more about Chapman’s study abroad programs. 

(Pictured in header: Ava Brandt (’27 Creative Writing, Documentary Film, and LGBTQ studies minor) at Saint Emilion, a wine vineyard outside of Bordeaux, France. Photo courtesy of Brandt)