A Program with High Aspirations Past Review
By BCstudent (Barnard College) - abroad from 09/01/2015 to 05/01/2016 with
France Study Abroad Reflections: Comprehensive Reviews of Past Programs
I gained a high proficiency in French, which made it pretty worthwhile. I had studied abroad before, so my experience was not as life-changing as it was for others (happily, I experienced that the first time I was abroad!). I sometimes wish I had only gone for a semester rather than a year; there were some important courses I could have taken at my home institution.
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. |
The professors were wonderful, and I felt that most classes were very rigorous. Instruction was almost as good as my home institution. I appreciated the small class sizes. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration lacks empathy, and does not respond to student concerns. Their interactions with students lack professionalism. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Housing is hit or miss. AUCP might do well to check in more frequently with students regarding their homestays, and to clearly lay out what students should expect from host families at the beginning of the semester, so students know when something's amiss/when things are as they should be. |
| * Food: |
Food in AIx is good. It's expensive, but there are plenty of cheaper options if you know where to look (which you will, eventually!) |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It's hard to get to know French people, but AUCP facilitates this as much as they are able. It really comes down to the individual student and their personality. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Health care was easy. I went to the doctor a few times well in France. I did so without much guidance from either AUCP or my host family, but things were ultimately fine and I became more confident in my French abilities (although I once had to walk a mile to doctor when I had the flu, which wasn't fun). |
| * Safety: |
Never felt unsafe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
My ultimate goal was to learn as much French as possible. While AUCP did a relatively good job in helping me achieve that goal, I feel that I could have found an equally rigorous program that would not have led me to endure so much personal stress. |
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) |
Aix is unfortunately very expensive. I was able to get by on 50 or 60 euros a week, and never felt that my social life suffered. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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? |
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 I had known that it wouldn't be as wonderful as the first time I went abroad, and that other programs were available. |
