Past Review
By Paige N (HISTORY., Barnard College) for
Columbia University: Paris - Reid Hall
My study abroad experience was definitely worthwhile. There are things that I would do differently if I could do it over again, but I don't regret doing it.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Paris 7 |
| 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. |
The different grading system made it difficult to anticipate what my final grades would be. The workload was not overwhelming, but the added difficulty of doing everything in French meant that assignments took longer than I was used to them taking. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administrators were very approachable and easy to talk to. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
4th arrondissement <br /><br /> I lived in a great neighborhood. My host family was nice, but I found it difficult to bond with them. |
| * Food: |
My host mom was an excellent cook. I liked French food a lot, but I think I dined out more often than I could afford to. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The program could have done more to help us integrate culturally and to meet French people. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I didn't have any health or safety issues while abroad, so I'm not sure how to rate those aspects of the program. |
| 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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Too much. Don't eat out too often. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I wish I had been informed of the fee for the medical appointment and the cost of the monthly metro passes. If you're going to travel, buy your tickets really early. Save your money for the end of the trip, so you can buy souvenirs. Go to lots of free events. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I took several 3000 level course prior to departure. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
All courses were taught in French, and I spoke French with my host family. With the other American students, I spoke English. |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | If you want to really improve your French, you have to be very disciplined about speaking it all the time. This is difficult when most of the students in the program are American. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Paris in Context (Urban History) |
| Course Department: | FRST H3994 |
| Instructor: | Dequeker |
| Instruction Language: | French |
| Comments: | In this course, we studied the history of Paris by do walking tours of different neighborhoods every week. The tours were fun, but, at three hours, they were a bit long. Because the class was organized geographically, rather than chronologically, it didn't feel like a history class. It was difficult to do the assignments because they did not feel connected to what we did in class. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
| Course Name/Rating: |
France: Regards croisés |
| Course Department: | FRST H992 |
| Instructor: | Dequeker, Blanc |
| Instruction Language: | French |
| Comments: | This course felt like two classes. One component of this course was a class that met six times during the semester. This class was composed of American and French students. We studied and compared different aspects of America and France. This class allowed me to meet French students, and I enjoyed the material we studied. I wish this part of the course had met more often. The second component of this course was a weekly discussion section with the American students in the seminar. The discussion section covered French history from the late 19th century to the late 20th century. We had one document to read for each class, and two students would present the document. We also had to read a book on the Resistance and write a four page paper on it. The workload was light, but I learned a lot from this discussion section. Prof. Blanc is a very good professor. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Formes du mythe au cinema |
| Course Department: | Film H3992 |
| Instructor: | Angiboust |
| Instruction Language: | French |
| Comments: | I took this course at Paris 7. I had never taken a film class before, but that was not a problem for this class. We had a tutor (Professor Delmas from Paris 7) who was very helpful and encouraging. The class met once a week for a three hour lecture in which the professor showed us movie clips and discussed the different types of myths and the different ways of portraying them in cinema. Both the professor and the tutor were very nice and very good at teaching. I had to write two papers and do one in class final. The work was difficult, but not impossible. I really enjoyed this course. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
