The Best Year of my Life Past Review
By blindley (ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE/LETTERS., The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 08/27/2012 to 05/18/2013 with
CIEE: Paris - French And Critical Studies
Studying abroad has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I've become more confident and independent, learned another language, and by spending a year in a foreign country, learned more about my own. I absolutely recommend studying abroad to anyone considering it; it will be one of the greatest years of your life.
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. |
The courses are very interesting and the teachers are good, but they're not very challenging. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The staff is very friendly and helpful! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I loved my host family and my home! I was in the middle of the 8th arrondissement, 10 minutes away from the Champs-Elysee. Almost everyone in our program was in the center of the city, and those who weren't could take a 20 minute metro ride to get anywhere. |
| * Food: |
You can't top Paris' cuisine. Many of the restaurants are expensive, but there are also a lot of great, cheap places. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It's easy to just hang out with the other Americans in the program, but if you make the effort it's easy to meet other Parisiens. CIEE also sets up conversation partners for you and you can enroll in local university classes. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I didn't have any health issues, but my friends found it easy to deal with any difficulties. |
| * Safety: |
Paris is a large city, so there are obvious safety issues that you'd find in any major city, but if you are aware of your surroundings and careful you shouldn't have any issues. Just doing basic things like walking home with friends at night and watching your bag on the metro was enough for me |
| 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) |
Paris is about as expensive as studying abroad gets, but there are ways to save money. Cooking at home instead of going out, buying train tickets in advance, and shopping resale or flea markets can help, but be prepared to spend a lot of money in Paris. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I spent probably about $150+ on foods. Sometimes more for drinks and stuff. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Plan trips in advance, stay in hostels or couch surf, shop at grocery stores and cook at home, drink before going out. |
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 |
We were supposed to speak in French while in the center, but most of the students end up speaking english to each other. They set you up with a French speaking conversation partner which is helpful |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| 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? | 6 hours of lower level french |
| 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? | Just speak as much french as you can and try to meet french people. |
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? | Be prepared to spend a lot of money! You can probably double whatever budget you plan. |
