Exploring a new lifestyle Past Review

By (The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 01/15/2012 to 05/11/2012 with

IES Abroad: Paris - Business & International Affairs

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Fluency in a new language and a whole new insight on life

Personal Information

If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: IES Abroad Paris Business International Affairs (BIA) IES Abroad Paris French Studies Intitut Catholic
How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Not very rigorous, but I felt like my time was occupied enough by academics

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

All of us got to know administrators on a personal level, they were all very invested in our personal experiences

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I believe my housing situation was the best in the program, I got very lucky with an incredible host family

* Food:

My host mom fed me amazing meals 7 days a week and lunch on weekends, most students did not get this.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I had a host family, an internship at a French company, and took external classes at a French institute, so I had more integration than most of my classmates, but I still would have liked to integrate with French youths more.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Hard for me to say, I never really had any health issues while abroad.

* Safety:

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)

* Was housing included in your program cost? No
* Was food included in your program cost? Yes
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $150
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Eat at home/with host family whenever possible

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

It was all optional, you could have a lot of none. I took the most possible.

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Advanced
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Fluent
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? my 6th semester
How many hours per day did you use the language?
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? Interact with as many people as possible, don't be afraid to really use the language.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
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?
  • TRAVELLING!
  • My host family
  • My internship
* What could be improved?
  • More integration with youths
  • Less hands on orientation
  • More independence
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? That I wouldn't be very integrated into French youth culture