Pretty Good Program Past Review
By Shadi N (University of Tulsa) - abroad from 09/03/2014 to 12/20/2014 with
IES Abroad: Nantes - French Language Immersion & Area Studies
I learned that I was capable of juggling a lot, and that the best kind of friends are honest and caring and not just 'fun'.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The classes weren't very hard. But I think this is on purpose because it allows lots of time for extra-curricular activities. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were very nice, but really disorganized. The first three weeks was a juggle to see what was going to happen next.f |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I liked my host family a lot! |
| * Food: |
I was in France! Food was never bad. Even as a vegetarian! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I had one encounter that was a bit scary, but mostly because I wasn't being very smart. It's a very safe city! |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
Definitely am not well to do and a lot of the people in my program were, so keeping up with them could be very hard if that was my attitude. It wasn't terribly hard to budget though, and I even got to travel to other places while in Europe. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $170 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | No |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
You're literally not allowed to speak English in the IES center building. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Analysis of French Literature |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
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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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I knew that students who study abroad aren't necessarily serious about school, and that it can make for annoying circumstances when you have to interact with the same 50 people and only 20 of them are there for the right reasons. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
