La Vie Plus Belle Past Review
By Jessica G (Roger Williams University) - abroad from 01/11/2012 to 05/19/2012 with
CIEE: Paris - Summer Contemporary Music Creation + Critique
I became so independent. I lived literally on my own, went to doctors appointments on my own, traveled the city/other countries on my own, and understood a whole new culture from their perspective. It was completely worthwhile.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Paris Center for Critical Studies |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
This is excellent for learning French, otherwise a lot of the classes are all fluff and very easy |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lucked out by having an amazing host family and lived in a beautiful area. However, other students were miserable and lived in dangerous areas. It was all selected randomly. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I did not feel it necessary to go get a 80 euro health check-up for my visa. That should have been discussed prior to leaving. |
| * Safety: |
Certain areas are safer than others and the program should notify students of such areas. |
| 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) |
It's Paris. You will blow through money even if you are not trying to. Students should be informed beforehand that while there are bargin stores, the city is EXTREMELY expensive and they should expect to spend thousands of dollars on just basic items. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 60-150euro |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Take out money in large sums and leave half of it stored in your room to save for later or emergencies. Credit cards are not accepted everywhere so prepare for that. Never walk around with large sums of money at once, its very dangerous. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| 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? | Advanced french, which translated to about a low intermediate course in actual france |
| 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? | Regardless of how well you think you speak the language beforehand, you can never really improve until you are fully immersed in the culture. Make French friends and sign up for classes in French, you will learn so much and become so much more comfortable speaking. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | That I would be spending more money than I was expecting to spend. |
