Education was mediocre but the the traveling was amazing Past Review
By Noa Iimura (Brandeis University) - abroad from 01/15/2017 to 04/28/2017 with
Boston University: Paris - Internship Program
The experiences through traveling were amazing
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. |
The courses material was mostly covered at Brandeis University already. The lectures lacked relevance to current issues and was hard to apply at times. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration was useless since they did not respond to emails, and when they did they were short and rude. When I was in Paris during an attempted stabbing at the Louve I sent them an email but never got a response which was extremely concerning. I personally was threatened that I would be kicked off the program if I had another unexcused absence (this was my first unexcused absence) even though on their syllabus it clearly states that an unexcused absence would result in a 4% grade deduction which I was prepared to take. Overall rude and unhelpful administration that needs serious modification. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The rooms were small yet equipped with a bathroom which was nice. However, the hot water constantly stopped working and I caught a cold in the process. The washer and dryer would also break down constantly and the administration was extremely slow in fixing them. |
| * Food: |
I cooked most of my meal in the kitchen so I did not have many problems. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Since most of the students were from BU it was difficult at first was I was able to integrate into the BU friend groups. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Healthcare was easily accessibly since the building was next door |
| * Safety: |
The building was secure |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
The administration was awful. |
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) |
5 |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 50 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Do not eat out |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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? | That the administration was going to be difficult to deal with. |
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 Avid AdventurerThe wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal. |
