PARIS you are my second home! Past Review
By Dani G (French Studies, Trinity University) - abroad from 09/01/2015 to 12/18/2015 with
IES Abroad: Paris - French Studies
Friends, language skills, better understanding of the culture, so much that's it hard to list. It was definitely worthwhile because I feel like I grew so much from the experience.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Classes were fairly easy but there is a lot of outside work you have to do! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
IES was awesome about helping us with any problem or concern we had. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My host family was great; a bit far from where the program was located but we lived in a really nice neighborhood. |
| * Food: |
Food with my host family - great Other food - way to expensive. Delicious, but eating in Paris costs so much |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It's Paris, there's always a cultural thing to do whether its with your program directly or on your own. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Lots of pit-pocketing! |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
IES was great and I would do anything to go back to Paris. |
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) |
Everything is way to expensive. The only benefit of being a student are the discounts you get at museums and certain cafes. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Over 50 euros |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Opt to cook instead of going out for every meal. You can save a ton by doing this. |
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 |
All classes and activities were in French |
| 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? | Intermediate |
| 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? | Consider living with a host family instead of a student housing because this will help you practice the language way more! |
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? | It's really hard to make real french friends. You meet a lot of people, but very rarely do you actually become friends. |
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 Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
