Best experience ever? Yes. Past Review

By (Marketing., Rutgers University - New Brunswick/Piscataway) - abroad from 01/23/2012 to 05/29/2012 with

American Business School - Paris: Paris - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
This trip taught me how to be independent

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Very easy courses, it was like a 6 month vacation!

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Could've been better, could've been worse

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Everyone wanted to live in our apartment. Everyone, no joke.

* Food:

Good but extremely expensive for extremely tiny quantities

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

It wasn't the program as much as the school

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

Don't be stupid and you won't get robbed.. Passed out on the streets of Paris once though in the middle of the night drunkenly and nothing happened to us, but I wouldn't recommend testing that

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)

You better learn how to cook, and in order to do that, you gotta know enough French to read the instructions because you can't Google translate everything

* Was housing included in your program cost? Yes
* Was food included in your program cost? No
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $50-60
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Learn how to cook

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Housing
  • Feeling of being independent but not alone
  • Trips
* What could be improved?
  • Clearer instructions
  • Food tips
  • Life tips
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? More French and that America is a country that doesn't care about its people