Life in Paris Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The courses ar IES provide a nice range of classes that easy to succeed in and others that can be rather difficult. The highest classes, those above the 400 level, were about as difficult as the average class at Fordham with the usual homework of weekly readings or essay assignments. The first few weeks of having multiple classes in French can be very tiring, but after a month they became very enjoyable and were incredibly educational.

On-site administration of your program

The on-site administration of the program were generally helpful. If a student ever had a problem one could easily talk to the counselors, send them an email, or call the emergency number when needed.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The homestay I lived with was amazing. I lived in Neuilly-sur-Seine which is just northwest outside of Paris with a family of five and another student who was in the IES program. After a slight problem in which my homestay was moved a week before I was to arrive in Paris, I found my new host family to be incredibly nice, accommodating, and helpful.

The food situation was very simple. Every breakfast, provided by the host family, consisted of toasted baguette, tea, and yogurt which took some time getting used to as breakfasts in Paris are not very big. Three dinners a week were provided by the host family, and every one was incredibly delicious. Dinners generally consisted of three to four courses which were generally a soup or salad followed by the main dish of some meat or quiche the either followed by a cheese course or dessert. While French families generally eat less food than American families I was always satisfied with the dinners. For the rest of the week I either prepared my own meals which wasn't hard as dinners in Paris start around 8:30 or 9:00 pm so cooking at 6 never interfered with their preparations for dinner. Lunches were a simple sandwich either made myself or bought at a boulangerie for 3-5$.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

While French and Parisien culture and social scenes aren't easy to jump right into on can get a good feel for the local culture by eating and drinking at one of the many cafes or bars in Paris. After around a month I found myself immersed in the culture to the point where Parisiens and tourists would ask me for directions under the assumption that I was French.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I never had any health problems, but the few people in my program who were sick could easily go to a doctor's office and receive antibiotics or medecine for a very reasonable price.

Living in Paris is like living in any big city in the United States. As long as you are smart there is very little to worry about. One thing to pay attention to though is that the metro, while amazingly clean and reliable, closes down at 12:30 am every weekday and 2:30 am on the weekends. The majority of problems that I heard of either happened after a student missed the last metro, or a student would have their purse stolen at a bar/club.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Paris can be an expensive place to live if you let it be.

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

While the program required students to speak in French when at the IES Center most students ignored that rule. French was a must in classes, but during field trips or outside of classes almost every student spoke in english to each other.

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• Host Family

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• Host Family

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• Local Students
• Americans

• The Classes
• The Immersion
• My host family

• Contact between the students and IES.

The Academic or Linguist