The wonderful South of France! Past Review
By Audrey E (French Secondary Education, Longwood University) for
Institute for American Universities (IAU): The School of Humanities & Social Sciences, Aix-en-Provence, France
Yes! I gained so much from this experience. I feel confident about my French skills. I have made friends from all over the U.S. and France.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The workload at IAU was not overwhelming. The professors gave helpful assignments and included the area of Aix-en-Provence as much as possible to make learning a lot more fun. We had a lot of outside learning experiences. I think that I learned a lot of French at IAU. I also do not feel like I spent my entire semester abroad stuck in the library. It was a nice balance of experience and classroom work. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I was very happy with IAU. They answered ALL of my questions that I had before studying abroad. While I was in France, I felt very safe and taken care of by the staff. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
IAU set up a host living arrangement for me. I lived with a host mother and another IAU student. It was great! |
| * Food: |
My host mother was a fabulous cook. She also did not make things that I did not like to eat. I enjoyed eating at the sandwich shops around the university for lunch. Aix is super expensive, but there are some good deals to be found. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I feel pretty successful with my French through this experience. I can feel comfortable entering into any store, or cafe and speaking to the people inside. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Aix-en-Provence is a very safe city. I never felt unsafe. |
| 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) |
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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
There is an international buddy program at IAU. I also got a lot of practice at home with my host mother. I took all of my classes in French. There is a lot of English spoken around Aix, but I found that I used my French as much as I could to help improve my language abilities. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Come with an open mind. Be open to learning as much French as possible! |
