NY/P Past Review
By A student (Wellesley College) - abroad from 08/31/2012 to 05/24/2013 with
Columbia University, GSAPP: Traveling - The Shape of Two Cities: New York/Paris Certificate
I learned a lot about French language and culture and how to live on my own in a foreign environment. I recommend going abroad in general--it opens your world up entirely.
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. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The New York semester was very well-planned. Intense but interesting, and administratively, things ran smoothly. Paris is a different story--lacked organization, some projects and deadlines seemed to be made up on the spot. Field trips and outings were well-planned and efficient. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
You're on your own here. Recommend living relatively close to campus. Lived on my own in Paris and it was great after an iffy flatmate situation in New York. Either way, everything's going to be really expensive unless you live in East Jesus, Nowhere. |
| * Food: |
Cook for yourself, it'll save a lot of money and France has great-quality ingredients and cheap, amazing bread. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
In Paris, we had an intensive French seminar, but that was it. I wish there would have been more of an effort on the administration's part to get us acquainted with the city throughout the semester. The couple of orientation events in the first days were nice, but that was the extent of the administration's involvement. The times I felt most "integrated" into Parisian life were when I went to the Monoprix to buy groceries. Make an effort to learn some French before you get there and when you do get there, speak to everyone in French as much as you can. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Typical university resources in New York, nothing in Paris. |
| * Safety: |
Don't do anything crazy just because you're abroad. If it's late, split a taxi with friends, walk home together. Memorize the emergency numbers just in case. Learn some French. |
| 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) |
Like I said, housing is expensive. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | cook for yourself, make your own coffee, the closer you live to campus the less money you have to spend on subway/metro passes |
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? | one semester of beginning 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? | speak in French as much as possible, listen to French music, read interviews in French (you learn informal French that way), change Facebook settings to French, make friends with the owner of that cafe you always go to, read every sign on the street, every label in the supermarket...just keep your eyes open for any opportunity to learn something new |
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 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? | You have to be very independent and thick-skinned to thrive in this kind of environment. No one's there to hold your hand. I'm not sure whether or not I'd do this program again as a junior year abroad. It's the kind of program that's great for building a portfolio to get into grad school. It gives you a glimpse of what's to come and in that way it's good for deciding when/whether or not you want to go to arch grad school. Academically, know that it's very, very, very intense but opens you up to an entirely new way of thinking and creating. |
