Next fall I will be studying abroad in France. Any recommendations on places to go or things to do?

I'm assuming you'll be visiting or staying in paris and will cover the sights there.

Mont St Michel is a wonderful lace to visit, a medieval town/abbey built on an island off the coast of france where Normandy/Brittany meet.

Bayeux is a nice place to stay, It has a cathdral and the Tapestry, and is a good place to stay to explore the normandy coast. It has great shops for fashion shopping, amazing footwear. Frm there its an easy hop to D-Day beaches, Caen, Rouen, other medieval cathedral towns.

Another really interesting thing is to go to the Dordogne region and visit some of the caves with pre-historic art. Those are amazing. If you head to the south, Carcasonne is another amazign mediaeval town, the old city nearly perfectly intact. Keep on to the south and visit the Pyranees - late in the fall you should be able to go skiing.

Easy trips from Paris for weekends would be to Amsterdam, Brussels, even across the channel to London or Canterbury.

Sounds like you have a wonderful opportunity to do some real exploring.

I haven't done this, but would like to

Louvre

Musee d'Orsay

Eiffel Tower

Centre Pompidou

Au Chat Noir Cafe

Moulin Rouge

Disney Paris

Notre Dame Cathedral (in Paris if you wish to see the one mentioned in Victor Hugo novel)

St Tropez

Lascoux Cave in Montignac

Pèlerinage de Lourdes

Chamonix Valley

Arc de Triomphe

Ski in the Alps

Since you are going to be in France, and the French are famous for their wine, be sure to travel to Bourgogne for some wine tasting (be sure to try the Kir while you are there--its a wonderful drink!). Dijon and the neighboring Beaune are two cities which would probably be very interesting for you.

Alsace is a fascinating region to visit and Strasbourg is a thrilling example of this bicultural region. You will get a taste of the centuries of German and French influnnce walking through this city, and a short bus ride will take you over the border into Kehl, a small neighboring German town!

Lyon is also a city worth visiting. For many centuries, Lyon, and not Paris, was the capital of France, and this large city has much to offer--including ancient Roman ruins! Walking through the ampitheatre, you will feel as though you are in Italy!

Speaking of Italy, be sure to visit it! I suggest going south of Venice, though, if you are looking for the "authentic" italian experience. While northern Italy is beautiful and a thrilling cultural experience, it is not what many travelers expect.

I recommend going to a SNCF office asap and purchasing a 12-25 carte (assuming you are under 25). This is the most inexpensive way to travel in France, and although it costs around 50 euros, you will earn that money back within the first couple trains you ride.

have fun!