La France!! Amazing culture, food and living. Past Review
By Maxine G (Miami University) - abroad from 01/29/2013 to 05/10/2013 with
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Aix-en-Provence, France
Travel and meeting new people has opened my eyes to the bigger world. It was the best decision I've made in my college career. I learned that there are more important things to focus on other than what others want of you.
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. |
Education was good. We had great French teachers. Only thing I wasn't aware of prize to beginning the program is that you are largely placesd with Americans or European students who also speak english. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
CEA program advisors were amazing. Very attentive to our needs and helpful in navigating us though this semester |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Housing was amazing. Very large and many of the houses had French students which was helpful for practicing French. |
| * Food: |
It's southern France. It doesn't get much better than this |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
As the school is separated from the main campus and many of the students are American or English speaking I felt a little isolated from other French students |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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 was very expensive. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 100€ |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If you go to an expensive place you will spend a lot of money. |
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 |
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| 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? | An upper 300 course |
| 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? | Do not move into an apartment if you plan to seal French for the majority of the time. When with Americans you will speak english as we mostly did in the apartments |
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 expensive southern France is. I also wish I knew that I would be in a school of foreign language students only. |
