Montreal: Awesome Summer In Canada Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I thought the Academic portion of the trip was excellent. Classes were from 9am to Noon, Monday Through Friday, and three afternoon programs of 1 hour and 45 minutes a week. Also we were taken on excursions as part of the academic program once a week or so. I loved the in-class experience. The teachers were awesome, and made learning french fun. I actually learned a lot to. I had taken french in High school, but never really learned much. In the immersion environment, I actually learned a lot, and had fun doing it, which was really surprising. Also, the classes are not hard. The grading scale is great, a "C" which is what you need to pass, is the equivilent of a "D" at Mason, but I don't know many people on the program who didn't get anything lower then a "B".

On-site administration of your program

The Host Country Program Administration were great. They were really helpful with any problems, and the programming the planned was really fun.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Housing was good, minus the lack of AC. You were in a suite, with you own room with a queen bed. Also, you had a living room, with a full kitchen and a fridge. The residences were a 10-15 minute walk to class, or a 5 minute metro ride. The residences were also right in the center of Montreal, in the perfect location all most. It was near nightlife, the downtown, public transportation, parks. As somebody who has spent a lot of time in Montreal, I was very happy with the location of the housing.

The Food scene in Montreal is great. With the program, we did not have meal plans, we had to dine on our own. I did not mind that at all, because I was able to try many different options, as the food in Montreal is great. Also, right near the residences is Schwartz's which is the best smoked meat in the WORLD. Also, the residences were right near many food courts, and cheap options as well.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The Social and Cultural Experiences were probably the best part of the program. Every night the had different programming, which took us all over the city. The personnel who took us on the programming were awesome, and really got to know us. We also had different trips every weekend that we could go on, and they were a lot of fun. From going to Quebec City, Ottawa, Mont Tremblant, the options changed every weekend and were a lot of fun. Also with the social scene, if you are under 21, Montreal is for you as the legal age is 18.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Montreal is as safe as any major city can be. I never felt unsafe during the program. I never had to use the healthcare, but the program provided us with full health insurence that could be used anywhere in montreal.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

We used French every day. In class, in the city, with each other to a point, french was the whole point of being in Montreal. The French program in-class was great, and the classes helped us pick up the language really quickly.

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• Dorm

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• Americans
• International Students