Paris, Je T'Aime Past Review

By Elise F (BA Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin) for

AIFS: Paris - Cours de Civilisation Française de la Sorbonne

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I am more independent and confident--if I can figure out how to navigate and survive in a city where I hardly speak the language, I can sure as hell do anything I need to do here in America. It motivated me to learn French as well as I can, and it made me realize that there really are foreign people in the world--Americans tend to never look past our borders, but my experience made me realize that what we do affects everyone.

Personal Information

If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here:	Universite International de Cannes, La Sorbonne
How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	the French grade on a scale of 1-20, so it was a little bit weird and doesn't transfer well. It'll probably lower my overall GPA.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	They were very accessible and helpful, except for the director, Danica. She didn't speak very good English, was bad at explaining things, and made us do pointless stuff. I much preferred the other two advisors, Jane and Alexia.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?
* Food:	There are cheap little sandwich places everywhere, if you look for them! I usually ate a $3 sandwich for lunch everyday (that's definitely the cheapest you'll find). The food is excellent, if you're willing to pay for it.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	Name any famous monument, and we got to go on a free, organized tour of it. Notre Dame, The Louvre, The Seine, and many more. totally amazing.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	I felt very safe and never had any issues.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget? (1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Everything is expensive. Laundry, groceries, coffee, etc. It's all expensive, so take what you think you need and double it.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	Yes
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program?	Intermediate
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure?	I had completed the intermediate level French course at UT.
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?
Language acquisition improvement?	I spoke French everyday to everyone I saw, including my American friends

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Host Family Dorm
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Americans Host Family
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	International Students