Old City Charm Past Review
By A student (Truman State University) - abroad from 05/30/2016 to 07/01/2016 with
College Consortium for International Studies (CCIS): Annecy - Institut Français des Alpes
It was worthwhile. Now that I have had that experience I can plan for a future abroad. I learned that I wasn't ready and do not have everything I need.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I believe that Stephanie was the CCIS Administrator. She was wonderful and provided me with alot of information and guidance during my stay. :) |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My apartment was in walking distance to the school. It was like being in the center of a metropolitan city with everything around you from restaurants to boutique shops. I shared a 3 bedroom 1 Bathroom with two other students from IFALPES. The landlord would come every Saturday to collect and wash the linen. |
| * Food: |
Food was delicious. You have too many options and not enought time to eat it all! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
People are polite. They don't bother you. If their English is bad, they will not speak to you. So practice your french if you want to have conversations in French. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I got sick when I arrived in Annecy and had a fever for about 4 days. I inquired with the school about receiving medical care because I am asthmatic. They did not know who our travele insurance was through and how it worked. I ended up going to the pharmacy and getting something over the counter. I made multiple trips to the pharmamcy because I had asked for a cough medicine that had something in it for cold, cough, and fever. They gave me only something for cough. All medicines are behind the counter and you have to ask the pharmacist for it. |
| * Safety: |
Very safe. I felt like I was in Boston. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I have traveled alot in my life. Annency was charming and sweet, but lacked diversity and culture. I would have gone to Paris or somewhere else with more culture. |
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) |
I budgeted $15 per day. By grocery shopping and spending about $30 a week, I could eat out atleast once per day. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $140 Euro |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Decide how you want to spend your trip - Eating out all the time or cooking meals. Save money for meals then budget your most important meals. Lunch Menu deals average between $6 - $8 Euro. While dinner Menu deals are around $35 Euro. One of my roommates cooked the whole time barely eating 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 |
They encouraged you to the use the language. The school has a no English policy. Therefore, you could only speak French. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | None |
| 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? | Study as much as possible. I would advice someone to study until they are at an Intermediate Level then go abroad. You will have a drastically different experience traveling with more language rather than less. |
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?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
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? | I wish that I knew that the Alps were closed for the season between May and September. Part of my coming to Annecy was to expereince the magic of the Alps. Sadly, I can not share this experience with Paulo Coehlo or others. Also, I wish I knew what I truely needed in the terms of resources. This would have made a huge difference in my experience. I used as much resources availabe to me to change the outcome. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
