Study Abroad in Rennes, France Past Review
By Benjamin W (French Language and Literature., University of Arkansas - Fayetteville) for
CIEE: Rennes - Liberal Arts
Very worthwhile. I miss Rennes and my life there every day.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
| The term and year this program took place: | Fall 2009 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The grading system is considerably different in France and takes some getting used to. The tests are designed so that no one will achieve anything close to a perfect score. I believe that is the goal as they write the test... to ensure that everyone will miss something. Certain tests were also pretty subjective and the professor was not always willing to consider that in the scoring. Overall, though, grades are not especially important to them, which definitely has its ups and downs for American exchange students. The teaching methods varied from professor to professor, but were generally pretty effective. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were very knowledgable as far as French and American culture and fairly organized, but I felt like they treated us like we were in high school a lot. If I had to do it all over again, I think I would probably just directly enroll with the French university instead of going through the CIEE program. The registration process really wasn't any easier with them and they sometimes made things more difficult. For example, they would not release any of our grades to us at the end of the term. CIEE has some crazy policy about that and despite the fact that I paid CIEE over $23,000 for the year that apparently did not grant me the right to see my OWN grades. The program is supposed to be a liaison between the American student and the French university, but honestly I felt like it got in the way from time to time. It limited us in some ways. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My host family was amazing. They were very accommodating and understanding and I miss them a ton. <br /><br /> My host family was amazing. |
| * Food: |
I will miss my host mother's cuisine for the rest of my life. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Rennes is a very dynamic, student-centered city. There are lots of beautiful places to visit around Rennes, so I would recommend its location in France, as well. For international travel it is not the greatest, however, because generally one must take the train to Paris before going anywhere else. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Only went to the doctor once, it was 22 Euros... not bad thanks to socialized health care in France. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Maybe 75 Euros a week or so |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Use ATMs to withdrawal Euros. Bank of America is partners with BNP-Paribas banks in France and you don't get fees with them. Capital One credit cards don't charge any international fees. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
The host family living arrangements allowed for a great way to practice French. I definitely used French everyday in Rennes... not very many people spoke English. |
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 do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | One who needs a more structured program. In the end I wish that I had directly enrolled with the university in Rennes, but I didn't know that such was a possibility at the time. I am a very independent person, though, and would've been fine on my own. I did, however, really like my host family and that was organized by the program, so that is definitely one other advantage. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Textual Structures/Written Expression |
| Course Department: | Level "Autonomie" or "Avance" |
| Instructor: | Amandine Chevalier |
| Instruction Language: | French |
| Comments: | This teacher was amazing... I wish that I could have had every course with her. She was challenging but managed to present topics in a way that kept us from feeling overwhelmed. Everyday she surprised me by the unique ways that she built her lesson plans and managed her classes/tests. From a pedagogical standpoint, her methods were brilliant. I participated considerably more in her classes than in many home classes. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
