Paris was very nice! Past Review
By Nicole D (PSYCHOLOGY., Brandeis University) for
IES Abroad: Paris - French Studies
Of course - I have never had the chance to travel before, and where better to do it than Paris?
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The experience in general was pretty good. I was satisfied with our little field trips, but I feel like the class could have been taught in a more organized manner. Overall, the staff was very polite and helpful and I liked them very much. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Pretty good. I liked the staff and they were very helpful when we had questions and they treated us respectfully. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My host family was very nice and accommodating. I liked where I was situated because I felt very safe and was able to walk to school. I only had to buy personal things, no major items. |
| * Food: |
The food was very good. I would not recommend Paris to anyone who is vegan because meat and eggs are served often. However, I have no dietary restrictions so I was fine. I really liked a lot of the little bakeries! I am not so good with remembering the names of restaurants, but there is a cute little crepe and bubble tea restaurant in Chinatown (13th) that is very reasonably priced. I'd recommend Angelina's (the 1st) for a cup of very expensive, but very delicious hot cocoa! Also, there are many good couscous restaurants but do not pay more than seven euro for a plate! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I was glad that I got to see all of the things I wanted to see! My student card that IES gave me was very helpful because it gave me free admission to a lot of museums and places like Versailles. The IES field trips were very fun and oftentimes were things we probably wouldn't have been able to do alone as students, such as going to Fontainebleau or eating at Angelina's. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I can't speak for health issues because I didn't really feel sick while abroad. Otherwise, I felt pretty safe. One has to use common sense though and not talk to strangers, no matter how "nice" they seem, and do not walk the streets alone at night if you are a female. It might sound sexist, but sadly we live in a world where women are more likely to get attacked when they do this. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I felt that the program helped my language acquisition, but I felt that the classes could have been more well-organized. I felt that oftentimes basic skills were skipped over. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Do not bother to bring high-heeled shoes. Bring shoes you can actually walk in. Also, try to buy the monthly/weekly passes for the Metro because you will save more money. Bring a jacket, too, because Paris still had some cold days in June! I'd recommend this program to students who are interested in France's culture. I wouldn't suggest it to people interested in the full study abroad experience (complete immersion, making friends, lots of transfer credits, etc) because a six-week period is too short to do so. |
