Summer Study Abroad in Angers, France was a once in a lifetime experience and opportunity! Past Review
By Christa C (BA degree in French/ minor in Applied Linguistics, Portland State University) for
GEO: Angers - Study Abroad Programs in Angers
There's learning to behad in every life's situation, so the study abroad experience was definitely worthwhile. I had some obstacles to overcome throughout my time there, but all the good things outweighed any bad moments.
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
All in all the workload, grading system, teaching methods, etc. was expected and fair, but my expectations for myself was higher than what I walked away with. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
|
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I was treated like royalty by my host family. I was fortunate to have really great host parents. They took take of everything from food to introducing me to family and friends and visiting places. I lived in a very safe neighborhood, which was about 5 miles from the university campus. I rode the city bus to school everyday. My host parents were wonderful. |
| * Food: |
Breakfast and dinner was provided by my host family and lunch was provided by the university. All was absolutely great... totally loved the experience of dining with all the students at lunch time every day and with my host parents every evening. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
|
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
|
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
|
Finances
|
* 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) |
|
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
|
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Speaking English was not allowed in the classrooms, so that was great, and teachers spoke English outside of class only under specific circumstances. However, almost all my classmates and most students in the program spoke English outside of class. Most interactions with natives were also done in English. I personally tried to speak French with the natives, but it was a struggle on my part to be fluent, so they would speak English if they knew it well enough. |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Every kind of student would benefit from this particular program. It's very fitting for those who cannot study abroad for longer than a month. It also prepares students who haven't ever learned the language before and students who plan to stay for the fall, winter, and spring terms. |
