API Grenoble: lack of air conditioning was the only bad thing Past Review
By Aaron M (international relations and global studies, The University of Texas at Austin) for
API (Academic Programs International): Grenoble - Université des Alpes
yes. i say yes to alot more experiences now, i definitely want to live abroad now and just do something that makes me happy, cubicles suck no matter where you are the in the world so do something original
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Let me clear this up, API (the program you go through) is impeccable. the leaders of it in Grenoble, the way they take care of you before and after, the people in the program with you, and the families they set you up with are all amazing and i couldnt have asked for anything better. However, the CUEF, the university you study through is pretty awful in every regard. I did the majority of my learning out of the classroom. The trip was still amazing and worth it. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
they always were available and took care of everything with the host university and host family |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
my favorite part of the program. i had an amazing family in a beautiful home in the nicest part of grenoble next to all the nightlife my tram stop and the bastille. really aided in my language skills and my love of foreign places. forced me to really get out of my comfort zone but accept a new family. |
| * Food: |
the french pretty much eat just vegetables and raw meats in the summer with some exceptions, the meals really broadened my horizons and made me eat a lot healthier even now. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
fete de la musique, canyoning, going to chamonix, the excursions were all awesome, hiking, the tour de france, july 4th, bastille day |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
always felt the same levels of safety as when im at home in america |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* 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) |
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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | the exchange rate is easy to forget, also going out is very expensive, one beer around 6 to 7 euro |
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? | second year French |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
its frustrating to speak just a foreign language for this long but worth it in the end |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | students who dont want to be gone for long, want a beautiful smaller city with lots of outdoors and bars and restaurants who will remember you, foreign friends |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Niveau B1.0 |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Mylene Descombris |
| Instruction Language: | French |
| Comments: | 4 hours a day (3 classroom, 1 lab), you talk about culture and current issues. kind of anti-american in places. the sole language spoken is French, which is frustrating at times but worth it. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | no |
