Want to be fluent in French? Go to the AUCP. Past Review
By Samantha F (Fordham University) - abroad from 01/10/2010 to 05/15/2015 with
France Study Abroad Reflections: Comprehensive Reviews of Past Programs
This experience literally changed my life, I gained an incredible amount of self-confidence from studying abroad with the AUCP - it was absolutely the right balance of challenge and fun. I can proudly say that I am now fluent in French and have a deepened understanding of French culture, thanks to the AUCP. While I came to France as a pretty mediocre French student, the support of my AUCP professors, my discussions with my language partner and host mom, and the focus on cultural integration made everything come together for me. It was more than worthwhile and I don't regret it for a second.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Classes were phenomenal. It was a difficult adjustment to the French grading system, but teachers were patient with our difficulties in French, all the while challenging us and teaching on incredibly interesting subjects. They were engaging, experts and truly enthusiastic about their work. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration was always there if students had any questions. The small and personable nature of the program is really nice too. The administration wants to challenge and help students to grow and succeed, which is not always the easiest path. And in retrospect, those things that were difficult about the program were exactly the things that made me grow and think the most. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My host mom was phenomenal. The AUCP really does a great job of pairing up students and families, and giving guidance on how to have a successful host family experience (ie: past student's tips, cultural no-no's, making house rules clear). Living with my host mom and her son was not at all like returning back home. As long as I had the common courtesy to let my host mom know if she should make dinner for me or not, or if I was going to be out really late. Even after living on my own at college, I felt completely independent while in France and my host mom even encouraged me to take advantage of my time in France. We had tea together daily, and I truly appreciated her advice and input. No regrets. |
| * Food: |
Do I even have to rate the French food? Really? It was awesome, of course! Aix is a town filled with university students, meaning lots of restaurants, bars, sandwich shops...and the AUCP is two minutes away from the daily open-air market with farm-fresh food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The focus of the program was social and cultural integration. I lived with a host family, took courses with only French university professors all in French, helped out at a local preschool, had a French language correspondent that I met with weekly, and took salsa dancing classes at the university across the street. I met a whole bunch of French locals outside of class and that made all the difference in my experience. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had a minor health problem at the beginning of the program, and the program staff helped me find a doctor nearby and gave me the necessary French vocabulary to explain myself correctly. I was pretty nervous, obviously, but the doctor and I understood one another and the problem was quickly resolved. The program provides comprehensive health insurance, students simply pay a flat fee of around 20€ directly to the doctor , and then are subsequently reimbursed for the visit and any prescribed medications by the AUCP. |
| * Safety: |
Aix is a very safe city, I never felt unsafe walking around anywhere. The only unfortunate thing is that buses stop at 10pm which made my walk home a bit longer or meant that I had to take a taxi home. |
| 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) |
Since Aix is a university town, there were lots of opportunities for student discounts. Movie tickets, bus passes, etc. Aix is definitely less expensive than Paris, but it's definitely not cheap. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Under $100 (mostly for extra activities like going out) |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Host families provide breakfast and dinner, we were just responsible for lunch and then other activities. The AUCP has a student kitchen, so students can just go to the open air market that sells fresh food directly from the farmers (inexpensive!). You can definitely save a lot of money making your own lunch. |
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 signed a language pledge to speak French all of the time, even amongst other program participants. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | A French Literature Course |
| 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? | Stick to the language pledge. While it's a no-brainer to speak French with your host parents, language partner, and professors, it can be harder to maintain the willpower to speak French with the other participants when you're tired, can't find the right word, or whatever. Working through those moments are what make you progress the most. Write down the words you don't understand and look them up later. And, read French magazines and watch French TV. That helps a lot! |
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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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 10+ |
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 had spent less time on the internet/Facebook/emailing. As soon as I got home, I missed speaking/writing in French so much..and I do think that having Facebook available can make it hard to make the psychological break that makes immersion most effective. |
