Immersed and Magical Adventure! Past Review
By A student (Finance/Economics, Cornell University) - abroad from 01/04/2012 to 04/29/2012 with
Boston University: Paris - Internship Program
I learned how to completely live and speak and immerse myself entirely in another culture. It was absolutely worthwhile.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The academic rigor was not that intense, but I think that was due to a difference in universities, and it was nice because it gave me a chance to explore the city more. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Off-site it was a little scattered, but on-site it was top-notch! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Host mother was wonderful, but others I knew in the program weren't so great. It was hit or miss, it seems. And my room was a little small and there was no internet, but it was a beautiful apartment. I was actually living right outside the city of Paris. |
| * Food: |
Paris...how can you go wrong? Host mother cooked one meal a week for me, which was delicious. Only problem is I have never experience food prices like this in my life...makes New York City look like a bargain! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It was a little difficult to integrate with the local culture, but I put in a lot of effort, and I did end up meeting and hanging out with the French. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
The health care system is wonderful! Program was very responsive, and other than the fact that all doctors take Sundays off and seem to go on vacation very regularly (like the rest of the country), in general both the program and my host mother were excellent at helping me with the various medical emergencies I encountered (all of which were my fault, due to intense athletic training, and would have been easily avoidable). |
| * Safety: |
The metro gets a little sketchy at night, and I know a lot of girls who were harassed, but I did not have a problem the entire semester. I think it depends how you carry yourself. Lots of bums, but actual danger is rare. |
| 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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| * 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? | $200+ |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Buy in markets, don't eat out, drink wine instead of water |
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 |
They tried to make us only speak French at the center, but it was difficult because not all the students were into in / proficient enough it seemed |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Intermediate Composition and Conversation |
| 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 movies / listen to music maybe |
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? |
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 how hard it was going to be to adjust the first 10 days. |
