My Summer in Aix Gave Me a New Appreciation for France Past Review
By Janette M (Government, The University of Texas at Austin) for
Institute for American Universities (IAU): The School of Humanities & Social Sciences, Aix-en-Provence, France
Yes, very much so. I went because I wanted to learn the language better and I did.
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The classes were very well taught and very enriching to the experience. Both classes I took covered the history of the region I was which made me appreciate it that much more. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They answered all my questions, from places to go to dinner to even how to get to another country if I wanted to go elsewhere. They were all extremely helpful and made the effort to get to know all of us. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
The food was delicious. My host mother also made a point of feeding us a lot of Provencal food which really helped my experience. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We got to go on a few field trips around Provence which were all wonderful. I feel like I really got a feel for what the Provence culture is like. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The city of Aix is super safe. Although I probably shouldn't have, I did walk home alone a few times at night without a problem. The only thing to look out for is for pickpocketers, but they aren't that big of a problem in Aix as they are in the big cities. |
| 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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Nope, everything they provided was very helpful. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Second semester of upper division French. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
The staff tried to use French with us as most as possible but they all spoke English as well. However, my host mom spoke only French so that's how I practiced my french the most. |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | This program is great and is perfect for someone who likes a smaller city with authenticity. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Ancient Art and Archeology |
| Course Department: | ARC 311 |
| Instructor: | Durand |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This class did require significant studying but we did have a lot of excursions which made the class much more enjoyable. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Speaking of Provence |
| Course Department: | COM 312 |
| Instructor: | Potter |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This class was excellent. We got to watch a lot of media that involved Provence and it really added to my study abroad experience. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Yes, both did. I would recommend them. |
