I definitely agree with the description that people in southern France are more laid back and nicer compared to Paris. Not necessarily as friendly to strangers as Americans, but still friendly enough in my view. Granted, this assumes that you already know at least some French.
What are you looking to study in France, and at which schools?
Asian-American living in Toulouse here, with 3+ years split between France and Italy. I too was more or less fluent when I arrived. Otherwise, my situation is fairly different from yours, and hell, in general people would never even guess that I’m American, but I can still relate.
I’m not at the point where I’m seriously considering moving back, but I’m already wondering if I’m experiencing the sunk cost fallacy with respect to France. I was actually considering making a post about it when I saw this!
Speak for yourself. No one even guesses I’m American here, least of all when I’m speaking French. Hell, I’m from Texas too.