Summer in Grenoble Past Review
By A student (French Language, Literature, Brandeis University) - abroad from 05/28/2015 to 07/11/2015 with
Boston University: Grenoble - Language & Liberal Arts Program, Summer
Improved my French significantly, learned a lot about French history and culture, and got to hike in the Alps. Definitely worthwhile.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
As a group we had mixed experiences with the direct enrollment at the CUEF at Université Stendhal. Others in the program enjoyed their classes; myself and the other 4 students placed in class B2.7 did not. The second class we took was interesting but professors were not always responsive to student requests about what we thought was important to review. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administrators were helpful, available, and care very much about the students. I got great advice about where to go to find information about hiking trails and transportation to said trailheads. A postcard addressed to me arrived at the program office just after I left, and they forwarded it to the US for me, which was very kind. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Had a wonderful experience with my host family. Couldn't have asked for a better placement. |
| * Food: |
Grenoble has easily accessible vegetarian food in many restaurants and my host family cooked delicious meals. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I didn't really have any serious health issues but missed a class once when I wasn't feeling too well, and they were accommodating. |
| * Safety: |
I generally felt okay walking around and taking the tram in the city until 1am or so. I was also lucky in that the other students on the program made a point to check in with each other via facebook message and be sure everyone made it home. |
| 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) |
I didn't travel much on the weekends and the fact that I don't eat meat cut my costs quite a bit. The program also provided each student with a 210 euro stipend every two weeks, which covered my food costs and the cost of buying a few items of clothing, postcards to send home, and some small souvenirs. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I spent about 90 or 100 euro each week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | It might be tempting to try and travel to a different city every weekend, but I was perfectly happy to stay in Grenoble for all but one weekend, when I went to Annecy for a day. I saved a lot of money compared to others and don't regret it at all; I was able to get to know Grenoble really well and usually went hiking once a weekend, which was a lot of fun and free. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
I used French the most with my host family and had a lot of great conversations with them over our shared dinners. It was a necessity because their English was not very good, but I went to practice speaking French so I was perfectly happy to use exclusively French with them. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | FREN105 at Brandeis |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Watch French TV, listen to French radio, and participate (i.e. practice speaking) in your French classes at your home institution. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Stores close early on Sundays, if they open at all! It's best to buy your food for Sunday on Saturdays. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
