Paris is wonderful but IES is not Past Review
By A student (Political Science and Government., Tufts University) - abroad from 09/10/2013 to 12/19/2013 with
IES Abroad: Paris - French Studies
I can speak French a heck of a lot better than I could before. I had incredible experiences exploring Paris and other cities when I traveled, but the program was a total waste because I feel as though I learned nothing and received few benefits. I would have been better off going to Paris on my own for 4 months than doing the program I did.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Class were not particularly interesting, challenging or otherwise worth spending time on. As someone who loves learning, I found many of my classes a disappointment. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The whole program felt rather disorganized. Aside from not being able to take classes at the outside institution I wanted because their classes could not fit into my schedule with the ones from the program, there were several other issues indicative of poor organization. There were many mandatory events on Fridays which made travel incredibly difficult. In addition, there were only 24 classes offered by the program and three of my top five conflicted; plus I had three midterms on one day. In a program this small, it shouldn't be unreasonable to coordinate things so that they're not as inconvenient as possible. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The housing was far and away the best part of the program. My host family was wonderful, helpful, supportive and helped immerse me in the culture. |
| * Food: |
The food in Paris...the program rarely provided food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It's really hard to meet Parisians, or become friends with them. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had no health issues. |
| * Safety: |
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| 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) |
Paris is expensive, but three dinners a week with the host family helps. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $75 |
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 |
We were constantly told to speak French, but in a small program with students from exclusively American universities, this wasn't a realistic expectation. |
| 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? | 5 |
| 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? | Do a program where classes are not exclusively for American students. So not IES. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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 realized how small a 57 person program was: I had trouble finding people I liked in such a small pool and everyone gossiped about each other because it was so small. I wish I knew that the class the academic adviser suggested I take at the Sorbonne was going to be miserable. And finally I wish I had done an internship instead of one of my classes because literally anything is more interesting than taking a class with the IES program. |
