Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

IAU Past Review

By (International Business, Bryant University) for

Institute for American Universities (IAU): The School of Humanities & Social Sciences, Aix-en-Provence, France

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
My experience was absolutely worthwhile. I loved the people I met there from different parts of the country, and I loved my host family.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Classes at IAU were not a joke, a few were actually harder than ones I'd taken at Bryant. However, the classes were interesting and I liked my professors a lot.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Yamina was great. She took care of all the housing and different social aspects

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

My host mother was amazing... She provided us dinner six nights a week, and was very underestanding towards my dislike of tomatoes and olives. The food in Aix is great too... A lot of options. My favorites were Crepes-a-gogo, the Boulangerie around the corner from IAU, and the Book in Bar. The restaurants on Cours Mirabeau are pricey, but definitely worth trying once.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

IAU was great, the took us on three different field trips, and some classes also took seperate trips. With one of my classes I went to Geneva to the UN, WHO and a few other organizations. I also took a day trip to Paris with a class.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

Aix is very safe, I would walk home by myself at night all the time, even when it started to get dark out. I never felt unsafe.

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?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • How small it was.
* What could be improved?
  • The organization at the beginning of the semester
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Take advantage of everything around Aix, the bus system is great there, and you can go a lot of different places very cheaply. Make sure to spend some weekends in Aix as well, because the city has a lot to offer.