Excellent Learning Opportunities Outside the Classroom Past Review

By A student (Accounting and Related Services., Hope College) - abroad from 01/15/2014 to 05/03/2014 with

IES Abroad: Paris - Business & International Affairs

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

My experience was extremely worthwhile. Learning to thrive in a foreign city helped me become more independent. I also learned a lot about the role that culture plays in shaping our values and behaviors.

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.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?
* Food:	The program only required families to provide students with breakfast and three meals per week. Although I was fortunate to live with a family who invited me to eat additional meals with them, many of my friends commented that they wished they could spend more time with their families.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* 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)
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	About 75 euros

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

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	Americans

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?	Nearly all of my professors took us outside of the classroom at some point to see real-life application of what we were learning.
* What could be improved?	The program requires everyone to take a French class and there is an optional Business French class, but it would have been nice to have one more option to take a class in French.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	Nothing comes to mind. I felt that IES informed and prepared me well before the program began.

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 Avid Adventurer The wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Intercultural Management
Course Department:
Instructor:	Beauzamy
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Our textbook had a lot of interesting content, and the course had the potential to be very informative. However, the majority of the course was taught through student presentations, and the professor did little to supplement our reading. I did not learn nearly as much in this class as I had hoped.
Credit Transfer Issues: