Eiffel Tower or the Sears Tower? Haute Couture or Juicy Couture? Chicago or Paris? Lucky for Colorado native, Heather MacGregor, she has been able to experience both. Rather than taking the conventional route and going to a school in the United States, MacGregor took a risk and applied to American University in Paris, a bold move for a girl who knows absolutely no French.
“I had always wanted to go to Paris. Ever since I was a child, Paris had a certain appeal to me,” MacGregor tells us.
After receiving all her acceptance letters, the schools in America did not sound appealing at all compared to Paris. So, she followed her heart and decided to go to school at American University in Paris.
Soon, MacGregor found out school was significantly different there. She took the required 5 classes, which allotted to 19 credits. Here at UIC, the maximum amount of credits one can take a semester is 18, in Paris, 19 was considered the minimum to be a full time student.
“It was equally as stressful, just in a different way. I had to take more classes, but I didn’t have as much busy work to do. We mainly focused on tests and papers. Half of my classes were in French and the other half were in English. I went to France not knowing French, so whatever I learned was in my classes,” says MacGregor.
MacGregor lived in an apartment about thirty minutes away from school. Every morning she took the train to class, which was a couple blocks away from the Eiffel Tower.
“One thing considerably different were the trains,” MacGregor explains, “the metro system was so efficient.
Almost every stop strategically placed connecting stops. The trains were very frequent, so you would never have to worry about missing one either. They were also a lot less smelly and much cleaner. Like Chicago, on the Subway stops, there was talent that performed for you, however, Paris’s talent was slightly different. You actually had to go through an audition process to play in the Subway stops so rather than feeling guilted into giving the performers money, you wanted to give them your money because they were so talented.”
When comparing the United States to France, she says,
“It’s a completely different way of life and a different culture. There is an art to everything, which is perfect for me. I’m an art history major. I love everything about art; it’s probably a little annoying how much I can ramble on about it.”
“Art is just a way of life in Paris,” explains MacGregor. “There are always fun, cost efficient things for students to do because the government funds the arts. They have free days for students a couple times a week when we could visit museums and galleries. Also, Nuit Blanche is an occasion where whole city stays out all night in the Luxembourg Gardens where there are giant disco balls, movies on the side of buildings, and the government funds all this for artists to display their work all night,” explains MacGregor.
Another aspect she particularly enjoyed was the fashion scene. Paris is the fashion capital of the world. Accordingly, women dressed in their finest on a daily base she describes,
“No one there wore jeans, ever. I’m not sure I ever saw anyone wear sweatpants. Everyone dressed very nicely, in mostly neutral understated colors. Similarly, their makeup was very muted. Sometimes you’d see some dark colors, or red lipstick but it was usually kept pretty minimal. Their hair is also very simple, you don’t see crazy dyes, or styles.”
Of course, we had to ask her about shopping in Paris,
“Shopping there was obviously amazing. Places that are nicer here, like Zara, H&M, and Gap, are considered low-end stores over there. Obviously, the prices could get pretty high, with the nicer stores you go to, but that’s like anywhere. Prices there were pretty reasonable, the only difference was in the dollar to euro conversion. One thing you’ll never find is knockoffs,”
Not only did she change as a result of Paris, her style did too.
“It took me a while to get back into wearing jeans. I still prefer to wear dresses and pants, but now that I’m in college, I’ll let myself wear sweatpants, but I feel slightly gross doing it,” says MacGregor
But perhaps one thing the misses the most is the food. After being accustomed to eating in the courtyard of her apartment, and having delicacy bakeries on every corner, American food no longer makes her mouth water.
“I miss the macaroons! They were everywhere in Paris, even in McDonalds! Here, in America, they are so hard to find, and if I do find them, they’re very expensive,” she says.
Also, she isn’t served wine with every meal, nor does it does not come out of a soda fountain or a juice box, like in Paris.
After seven months in Paris, MacGregor returned to the United States. Her first semester back was spent taking online classes, working towards paying off loans, and applying to schools. Now, here she is at UIC, starting her sophomore year. Though adjusting back to life in America was hard, she’s excited to be in Chicago, a city full of abundant opportunities.
“Because I’m an art history major, Chicago appeared to be the perfect fit for me. There are several museums, art galleries, and options here,” MacGregor explains.
After getting her undergraduate degree from UIC, MacGregor hopes to continue on to Graduate School either here, or in New York. Ultimately, she wants to be back in Europe, as a curator, one who manages art collections.