Becoming a Parisian. Past Review
By A student (PSYCHOLOGY., Brandeis University) - abroad from 01/07/2012 to 04/27/2012 with
Boston University: Paris - Internship Program
It was very worthwhile. I learned a lot about myself and about french culture.
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. |
My experience was very cultural but not too academically challenging. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I often felt like we were given too much freedom, although I knew there were people available I could go to if I needed anything. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I was one of the few people to live in the dorm. I had my own room and liked knowing I had people to come home with after being out at night. There was a cheap cafeteria attached as well. |
| * Food: |
Well, the food in France is amazing. There were cheap options at bakeries. Lots of bread and cheese! The cafeteria food where I stayed was pretty bad. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I felt that I was given many opportunities to connect with other french people, although our program was all americans. I used my french a lot. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Once I slammed my finger in a metal door and went right to a local pharmacy. That was during the internship part of the program, and my boss was very nice about it. The program didn't know it happened and the pharmacy told me to go to the hospital if it was worse the next day. |
| * Safety: |
I really like to feel very safe at all times. I'm neurotic. I thought Paris was relatively safe, but I often found myself questioning it too. It is near impossible to get a cab late at night and the area near the dorm I lived in wasn't the safest. That being said, you just have to be smart. |
| 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) |
France is really expensive but there are simple ways to reduce spending. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
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 |
We signed a contract that while we were at school, we would always only speak french. |
| 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? | I had taken 4 semesters of French at Brandeis starting from level 2. |
| 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 tv shows and listen to music in that language! |
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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| 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? | I wish I knew more about the metro and geography of Paris. I wish I had traveled more whole I was abroad. |
