Paris was a Great Experience, No Questions Asked Past Review
By Elizabeth Madison Y (Foreign Languages, University of Memphis) for
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Paris, France
I learned how to live on my own and to take care of myself. I had a blast, and it has really opened doors for me internationally.
Personal Information
If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Sorbonne Universitaire |
How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I took the most amazing wine class that has honestly changed my life. I learnt so much about the art of making wine and tasting wine. The Teacher was amazing. And to this day, I still appreciate everything she taught me! If you have the chance to take this class, it is 100% worth it. I also took an International Marketing class that was great! Our teacher was very interesting, and I loved his class as well. The classes I took at the Sorbonne were not amazing. I would just stick the the French classes at the CEA campus. |
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were so helpful in adapting us to the culture. No complaints. |
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
It was clean. I stayed at AEPP in the 11th arrondissement. The people were nice, but I did not learn much French staying there because the international language is English. It was also difficult because I had 3 other roommates, 1 of which we did not get along at all. And the rest of the students, or a good amount lived at Cité U. |
* Food: |
Very expensive to eat out, so I mainly consumed bread and cheese. Stick to crepes and baguettes. But the wine was amazing and worth every Euro. |
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I loved our trip to the Loire Valley provided by CEA. I was also able to travel a lot while there, a definite pro to living in such an international city. Plus Paris is absolutely beautiful to explore. Take advantage of its historical aspects. |
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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* Safety: |
Safety was ok. There are a lot of homeless people and a lot of small theft occurrences. Health, a lot of people smoked, and that affected me. |
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
* 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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Language
* Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Language acquisition improvement? |
In Paris, It was a bit harder to practice speaking because everyone already speaks English. |
Other Program Information
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | Prepare a larger budget when you go to Europe. |