Paris: I'd do anything to go back Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The academics were surprisingly challenging. USually when you anticipate studying abroad, you think of minimal school work. However, I had to study as much, if not more, than I do at home at my American University. The exams we're equally challenging and the material was very comparable. However, in American Universities it isn't as common to give out homework assignments in college, that much more of a high school thing. At ABS I received a lot of homework. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the majority of my professors spoke English fairly clear. A few were difficult to understand, which made it hard to pay attention. An aspect of the school that I did not like was the length of the classes. It was nice to have a blocked schedule, however, the classes were entirely too long. It was hard to pay attention and truly get the full experience when all you can think about is how you want to go out and explore. The grading system resembled how grades in America are issued. Therefore, I did not have a problem with that. I truly enjoyed the diversity in my classes at ABS. It was an exciting challenge to work in groups with individuals from all over the world. It was fun for me to see how American's work and think as opposed to other countries.

On-site administration of your program

Audrey was always available to answer questions. Occasionally it was hard to get a hold of her. The trips we took through GSE we're always well planned out. I definitely made the right decision to go with GSE as opposed to any other program/service. Audrey was able to answer any questions we had about our host country. Our program was a decent size. I would have liked for it to be larger. However, I guess that would have made it more difficult to travel.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I loved living in Lafoscade. I made my best friends living there. There we're a lot of ABs students living in the building. However, it was a 45 min metro ride to school and that became difficult and annoying at times. My apartment came with all the neccessities and I had to buy very little. There was one queen size bed and one twin, which I know made it difficult for roommates. My roommate and I were close friends and didn't mind sharing the larger bed in the room, because the twin size bed was out in the living room. I felt very safe in my apartment building. There was a code at the front. It was very close to a few markets, a laundry mat and was only a few metro stops away from Le Bastille (night life).

You should take this review in to little consideration. I am an extremely picky eater and chose to eat pasta every night because I didn't like the local food. The one place I did like to eat was a Lebanese restaurant across the street from ABS.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

During my time in Paris I felt I took advantage of every opportunity. I traveled to 9 different countries during my 3.5 months. I visited museums, gardens, castles, etc. as well as enjoyed quite a bit of night life. My favorite cultural experience was when I met a French boy at my school and we started talking about music. He found out I could sing and asked me to audition for a performance he was doing at a show nearby. I sang for him and he liked my voice and I got to sing "Remember the Time" by Michael Jackson with him and his band at a French showcase. All my friends came out to see the show and I got to meet, mingle and listen to some amazing French musicians. This experience is a perfect example of taking advantage of meeting others and putting yourself out there. It is an experience I will never forget. I want to add that next weekend, 16 of my friends from my abroad program are having our 2 year reunion in Washington D.C. This just goes to show how close you become with these people. They continue to be some of my best friends.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I didn't have a direct experience when it came to healthcare, but mainly because I am so unfamiliar with socialized medicine and was too nervous to go to a hospital. I believe I had health insurance through the program, which was great. During my time in France is when the Swine Flu was spreading like wildfire. ABS did take percaution by having anti-bacterial sanitizer around the building for students to use as well as informative posters hanging throughout the building.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Luckily I lived in a building with a lot of ABS students. We we're able to practice French with each other often. We also tried very hard to incorporate it in to our daily lives. I spoke French every day whether it was in class, with other students/friends, at the market, at a restaurant or on the metro. I improved my French skills 100%. However, due to the fact I attended the "American" Business School in Paris, the majority (if not all) of the people there spoke English to some extent. My courses we're all taught in English.

Select all that apply

• Apartment

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• Americans

• The opportunities to Travel
• The people I met
• My host city

• Location of apartment in regards to school
• Food- GSE should give suggestions that Americans may like
• More e-mail accessibility to advisor as opposed to cell phone . The cell phone's were extremely difficult to figure out and use.