Paris: An incredible, genuinely life-changing experience Past Review
By Sydney S (History and Literature, Harvard University) for
CIEE: Paris - French And Critical Studies
I learned a lot about myself, fell in love with Paris and want to go back to do graduate study in Paris after I graduate from college.
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. |
Neither the workload nor the coursework were particularly difficult, BUT, I learned a lot in my courses, arguably the equivalent or even more than I have in courses I've taken at Harvard. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
the administrative staff was very friendly, helpful, and accessible. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I had an incredible housing experience. Towels, sheets, cookware, and the like were all provided for me. I lived with a single woman who seemed genuinely excited about having someone live with her and did not treat me simply as if she abided having me there purely for profit. |
| * Food: |
Be careful with your money! Especially in a place like Paris, it can be tempting to eat out all the time or get expensive meals. Also don't get into the habit of thinking 20 euros=20 dollars. While yes, that is the equivalent in terms of how a French person thinks about the prices, it is NOT the dollar equivalent. Thinking like that will quickly mess up your budgeting. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
My program organized trips to Bordeaux, Cour Saint-Emilion, Vaux le Vicompte, and numerous plays/dinners/other cultural activities in Paris. It was great! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Our program made health and safety a priority. The one girl I know who had the closest thing anyone on my program had to a medical emergency (she had to get surgery on her hand), was helped TREMENDOUSLY by the program (i.e., the guidance and wellness counselor helped her pay for medical treatment and stayed with her at the hospital/medical clinic for the several hours that it took to navigate through the maze that getting medical treatment in France without French medical insurance was. |
| 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) |
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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | You will spend a lot on food. More than you think. Also for travelling - I would plan out any trips you want to take at the very beginning of the semester and budget carefully for them - you might not end up getting to go even close to everywhere you wanted, but that's okay! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Introductory French (French Aa, French Ab) |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I was able to speak French with other students, faculty, my host mother, my conversation partners, etc. Most people in my track spoke English to each other even though we were not supposed to within the study/social area of our school. |
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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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? | A self-motivated student will benefit the most from this program. The quality and intensity of coursework is absolutely what you make of it. The program had a nice 10 day break to do lots of travelling and students got plenty of free time. The only reason I would not do this program again is because I would have preferred more rigorous academics. |
