Be careful and demand what you pay for September 12, 2024
By Orest Z (French, Tulane University) - abroad from 06/30/2024 to 07/27/2024 with
CIEE: Paris - French And Critical Studies
Paris is fun
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. |
Pretty good program from the academic perspective. There was one major shortcoming. The Director of program included no Music whatsoever. During this time. They were over 503 concerts in Paris, and he decided not to schedule any of them. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The courses were fine the home Family situation was a disaster. It was a complete violation of the contract. I was put in with an immigrant family, who never went to school in France, who never spent any time with us at the dinner table, and basically just set up buffets And watch television. They spent no time with us, their French was heavily accented. The plus parts here were that the apartment was centrally located, and no harm came to the students. The administrators refused to address the situation in spite of this being highlighted. The head office in Maine also punched it on the subject. I requested that I have a French program. Do you reassign to West Africa where the host family came from. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Ridiculous violation of what they promised. Zero interaction with host family zero outings with host family zero ability to learn any more French through host family. If you’re interested in going on this program, get some sort of personal guarantee from the organization, saying that they will put you in a French family that interacts with you and that can speak French properly |
| * Food: |
The food in the family is safe, but not French at all. The Parisian food was fantastic. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Because I gave up on the host family I went out and explore Paris and had a fantastic time. But I did this on my own the program did not help. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Call fine |
| * Safety: |
All fine |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
There are no other high school programs like this |
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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| 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? | No |
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? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 3 years hs |
| 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? | Have fun |
Other Program Information
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* 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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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | That’s the program in Paris has a reputation of putting a fair number of students into situations that are not as advertised. If my parents knew that I would be put in an immigrant household with no family interaction they would not have sent me. The Paris program head Was either incompetent or disingenuous or outright fraudulent, and his delivery of some of the services that were promised. |
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 NetworkerAn active student leader, it was important for you to network abroad as well. Once overseas, you sought out student clubs, volunteered with local organizations, or attended community events. You encouraged your friends join you, and often considered how you could reflect your international experiences in a resume. |
