Past Review

By Arielle C (Psychology and Community Health, Tufts University) for

CIEE: Paris - French And Critical Studies

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

My study abroad experience was amazing! Not only did I learn so much through my academic experience and travel, I learned a lot about myself. Abroad is a great opportunity to try and remove yourself from American stereotypes. I really tried to integrate myself into the Parisian society. Spend time with your host family. Get involved in some extracurricular group to meet people. Take advantage of speaking french all the time because it will be worth it in the long run.

Personal Information

The term and year this program took place:	Fall 2008

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	I feel like I learned so much abroad 1) because I traveled so much and 2) because my academic classes were coupled with fieldtrips to the places that we talked about in place (such as the great mosquee and the louvre)
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	The administration was always accessible and willing to help. One was a former student participant so that was really good to talk to her about difficulties or fun student areas in Paris.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	I got very lucky that I had an amazing host family. I lived in the Marais which was a close walk from the center so I didn't have to take the metro that much. They provided me with my own room and one meal a week. I wish I had more than one meal a week with them because then we could have spoke more french together. It was an older couple who worked and they spoke only french which I really liked. Overall, I would recommend homestay to everyone! <br /><br />
* Food:	Restaurants and cafes were very expensive so I ate home most of the time. My host family only provided one dinner a week and some typical ingredients for breakfast so I was responsible for cooking most of my meals. The problem was this is that I ate alone most of the time but it was very nice to eat with the family once a week.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	Being a young women in a big city, it is necessary to be cautious at all times while walking around but I never encountered any disturbing problems.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	No

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)
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Making my own lunch almost everyday was helpful in cutting costs. Cafes and restaurants tend to be more expensive than eating at home.

Language

Language acquisition improvement?	I didn't have much french in college before going to france but I definitely should have challenged myself and taken all classes in french. It seems intimidating but really is a great opportunity to take advantage of. I would have liked to have spent more time speaking french with other students in my program. Living with a french family was amazing and the best part of the program.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Host Family
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Americans

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	Be independent and take advantage of all the opportunities Paris and other cities in Europe have to offer. The people most satisfied in my program were the ones who traveled a lot and took advantage of the city.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Nineteenth Century French Painting
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:	english
Comments:	This course required the most work because it was alot of memorization but what a better place to take art history than in Paris. Every other week, we switched between classroom instruction and ging to museums.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Muslim Presence in Europe
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:	english
Comments:	I'm usually not interested in history courses but the professor loved the class and had great guest speakers.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	francophone cultures through literature and film
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:	french
Comments:	This course lacked focus and direction. I felt myself getting lost in the course material, not because of the french language, but because it was difficult to follow along.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	French Grammar and Conversation
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:	french
Comments:	These were two different courses. My grammar course was amazing. My professor was Delia and she is such a great professor. She teaches to the level of the students, always has us talking and involved, and teaches important and essential grammar skills. My conversation class was ok. It was not as interesting or interactive as I would have liked but nonetheless a great way to speak french.
Credit Transfer Issues: