Disappointing - AUCP in Marseille - Bridge to the Middle East Past Review
By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/21/2012 to 05/19/2012 with
France Study Abroad Reflections: Comprehensive Reviews of Past Programs
In all honesty. Marseille-incredible, AUCP-not. I value the experience because I learned how to put up with disagreeable situations for an extended period of time. Not worthwhile.This program is In need of serious reflection and adjustment on the part of the administration to better serve its own goals.
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. |
I would say that each of the classes was so different in terms of teaching style/work expected from the student, so its difficult to answer this question.I didn't consider some of the material in one of the core classes to be of an academic nature and I felt it was almost painful to sit through. However, I did really enjoy some of the other classes which were generally demanding but not overly demanding. In general, there were very little resources other than the assigned reading list and some old and usually frozen computers. In general, the professors made themselves availabel to students if they requested it. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The American University center is not completely devoted to its Marseille students. There are various other programs going on and often the center moved around our classes, and sometimes didn't provide an adequate or appropriate space to study, creating a rather hectic feel. It didn't feel like the administration was there to serve students and listen to their suggestions. In fact, I felt like I was often treated as a nuisance. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Some people had bad housing situations, but I had a great one. However, many of the homestays are WAY too far away from the center and in some cases compensation was not given to students who had to take public transit to and from the center. |
| * Food: |
well i guess it depends on your family. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I was integrated into my host family, but I dont know to what extent I was integrated into the society. Although the program made attempts to integrate the students, they failed in most cases. We spent way too much time (we had to spend way too much time) at the actual site, that it left little time for actual life activities other than studying and passing time with the host family. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| 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) |
I paid for a lot of things that I thought would be taken care of by the program. But Marseille is not an expensive city in comparison to other European cities. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 30-70 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | eat as much as you are allowed to with your homestay family and make meals with people to share instead of going 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 |
We had to speak french, but not a single professor or staff member actually corrected students when they made repeated and basic mistakes while speaking french. In my opinion, this prevented real group improvement in French and kept my level much lower than it could have been. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Don't talk to/hang out with anyone who doesn't speak French at least better than you do. |
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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| 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 the average level of french among the students was quite low |
