Hemingway got it right: Paris is a moveable feast Past Review
By Karlem S (Film, Photography, and Visual Arts, Ithaca College) for
IES Abroad: Paris - French Studies
Yes, but only because out of class I made it so
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. |
It was fairly easy but a lot of the work we had to do was busy work, almost as a way to grade us without us really learning anything. My theater class felt specially worthless out of class and the assignments seemed almost fake |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
not enough immersion with parisian people |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
None of the requirements i asked for in the application were met, except for the fact that another IES student was also living with me. It was incredibly important for me to be close to cultural centers, like museums and that need was not met AT ALL, as a matter of fact I was basically complete opposite to everything I wanted. My host mother however, was very lovely and I enjoyed living with her. |
| * Food: |
At my homestay they were great |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
trips were too short |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
it was perfect |
| 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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 200 euros |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | really pretty, super cheap shoes |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | french 202 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I could practice with people around but my home stay was with an elder lady who was never really home, so I didn't have a way to practice outside of ordering food or exchanging money at a store. In some classes there was plenty of opportunity to talk while in others there wasn't any at all. Overall meeting locals was incredibly difficult in Paris and I would have liked to have had a home stay with someone around my age |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | There were tons of ignorant girls who only cared about clothing, so if that's your thing, this is the program for you |
