Great Time Abroad, Program Needs some Changes April 17, 2023
By Annoymus X (Political Science and Government, Boston University) - abroad from 01/08/2023 to 04/27/2023 with
Boston University: Paris - Internship Program
Yes 100% Everyone should study abroad! Learned so much about myself by taking risks!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Academics aren't hard as long as you do all the assignments you have to turn in. Professors are very flexible and also want you to have fun so they don't assign too much homework. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The professors are so kind and very great here. However, the administration is very disappointing. They were very unaccommodating when students needed to miss school for legitimate reasons. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The housing was okay. You can either live in two places (one in the 14th) and one right outside of Paris or you can do a homestay. Both individual housings are about a 30-minute commute to the heart of Paris. Both housing options have shared kitchens but everyone gets a single and a bathroom. They won't let you choose your own housing unless you have a family member or friend you can live with. |
| * Food: |
Food wasn't provided |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Good! The administration offers lots of activities around Paris. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I didn't have any, but my friends who did had easy access to doctors. |
| * Safety: |
I always felt very safe in Paris. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I really loved this program until we did the internship. The internships are (with the exception of a few) very boring and unfulfilling. If I could do this program and only take classes the whole time, I would 100% choose it again because I loved my professors so much. I would also look into a program that has better living accommodations (ie close proximity to the heart of Paris. |
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) |
Paris is so expensive |
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 |
All my classes were taught entirely in french and some of my professors didn't even speak english. It was difficult, but my french improved so much |
| 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? | Advanced French college level |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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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? | Do your research on a phone plan before you come! |
