Magnifique! J'adore IES Abroad et Paris! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The classes are all in French--which is challenging at times. The classes themselves are not terribly difficult, but the difference in grades and the language barrier make them an awesome challenge! Library, computers, and printers are available, which is helpful.

On-site administration of your program

The staff at the IES center were so friendly and accomodating. I felt as if I could go to any of the faculty with anything and be received warmly. They were also very understanding.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Personally, my host family and I were a great match! They treated me like a family member but gave me my personal freedoms as well. The only thing was that they lived almost an hour commute from school, but it wasn't too far away from the metro.

It was Paris, so the food was always amazing.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Sometimes, it was hard to feel integrated into the local culture because IES is all American students. It was easy to make friends with the other students, but we would resort to speaking English and traveling together. I do wish I had made more friends who live in Paris, but it is a completely different culture, and their friendships are different than Americans.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I got sick during my stay abroad, but the local pharmacies were helpful and provided me with what I needed before I needed to go to IES. I also had an orthodontal problem, which is not covered by the health insurance offered through the program, so I had to take care of that on my own. Being a large city, it wasn't too hard to Google a local orthodontist and schedule an appointment on my own time. I was able to fix the problem and pay without needing insurance or even ID.

We would always get emails every time there was a strike or a rally that could cause delays or problems, and we did many safety briefings. I always felt safe, even though it was around the time of the terrorist attacks. It's a large city, so one must always be aware, but I never felt threatened or unsafe.

Even though it was not perfect, I had an amazing time studying abroad with IES Paris. Every program has some problems, and there will always be stressors, but even through that I will never forget my time in Paris. It was the best decision I made to study abroad, and I'm so glad I chose IES Paris.

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

It was difficult to live on a small budget in Paris because everything is extremely expensive there. I tried to buy cheap food and save my money by eating in and not traveling or going out every weekend. The worst expense was the 70euro Navigo pass every month needed for the metro. I feel as if that should be included in the program fee to lessen the out-of-pocket for students.

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

IES tried to get everyone to speak French all the time constantly. The "défi" was a weekly challenge to speak only French the whole week that became a contest to get the next consecutive week's bracelet, and it worked to get the students to speak French in the center.

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• Host Family

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• Host Family

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• Americans

• Langauge immersion
• Support of center
• Host family

• Some classes/teachers
• Budgeting (cellphones, Navigo)
• Internship scheduling (I did over 20 hours a week w/ 5 classes, it was a bit too much at times)

The Academic or Linguist