CEA makes studying abroad enjoyable! Past Review
By Daniel M (International Commerce, Texas A&M University - College Station) - abroad from 09/01/2014 to 12/21/2013 with
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: French Alps, France
It was most definitely worthwhile. I learned how exciting traveling can be and how with the right program it isn't hard to adapt to a new country.
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. |
Classes were challenging but not challenging to the point where I would get frustrated and discouraged from studying and/or trying. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Patrick was amazing! He is incredibly funny and is a renaissance man. I think that my experience wouldn't have been the same was he not the on-site specialist. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Great dorms close to school! |
| * Food: |
Depending on how good of a cook you are or which places you go to will depend on how good of a gastronomic experience you will have. Patrick took us out to wonderful and delicious places and he also cooked amazing food for us once in a while! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Patrick did amazing at familiarizing us with the city. Grenoble is a very friendly city and I never had problems making friends. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Fortunately I never had health problems during my stay. |
| * Safety: |
As in every city, there will always be crime. The 'bad' part of town is out of the way that a student will never really go there unless they intend to. besides that I found the rest of the city to be really secure. |
| 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) |
I bought and cooked all of my meals so it was relatively cheap for me to live there. The only time where I really spent a lot of money was during weekend traveling. |
| 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? | cook your own meals |
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? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | French 202 |
| 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? | get to know local people so that you can practice the 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? |
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? | how much I underestimated how cold it would get during the winter. |
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 Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
French Language |
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| Comments: | It was great being paired up with people on the same level as I was. The professor was extremely helpful when I needed help. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
