Past Review
By Gabrielle V (English, General Literature and Rhetoric/ French, SUNY - Binghamton) for
Institut de Touraine: Tours - French Language Program
Absolutely. I learned a lot of the language, traveled new places and saw many countries. I made a ton of great friends from many different places from all over the world, and I learned about many different cultures other than my own. It was an amazing experience, and they are memories I will have forever.
Personal Information
| The term and year this program took place: | Fall 2009 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The professors, who spoke only French, were great. They were always available for extra help before, between, or after classes. The work was challenging and sometimes monotonous, but I definitely learned a lot of the language and I feel much more comfortable with it because of the academics. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program overall was great, but there was not very good communication between my overseas university and my American University in regards to grades and transferring credits- that was a big problem when I was there and was a very stressful issue to deal with. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived with a single woman who was retired on Rue Jules Charpentier in Tours, France. She lived in an apartment building, and had a very nice home. <br /><br /> My host mom was great and always very accommodating. My housing arrangements were made by my French University, after I had filled out preference forms that I had sent to them several months before. I was about a five minute walk from the nightlife and very close to my school. My street was very safe and I never encountered any problems. |
| * Food: |
The food was great- I'm just not a big fan of French food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Make as many friends as you can, travel as much as possible, and speak as much of the language as possible- don't be shy to try. The time goes by too fast and if you put yourself out there you will learn a ton. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The healthcare and safety was never an issue- everything was safe and we were taken care of. Tours was an extremely safe city, however, I do recommend walking with someone else at night, especially if you are a girl. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Be careful of the currency-most likely the dollar will be less than it. Always be aware when you are looking at a menu or a price tag. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I spent the most money traveling internationally. If you plan on going out of the country on the weekends or on breaks, check out ryanair.com, easyjet.com, trenitalia.com for travel within Italy, and if you are in France and traveling a lot by train, purchase a 12-25 card, a student discount card for people ages twelve to twenty-five, which gives you great rates. |
Language
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I am still not completely fluent; I don't know many idiomatic phrases, obviously, some vocabulary and it is difficult to understand tv when people speak really fast. Overall, though, I can communicate very well and very efficiently. My listening skills improved immensely, and I can have a normal, everyday conversation with someone without problems. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes 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? | Definitely do as much as you can to figure out how your credits and classes will transfer with your advisor(s) before you depart. |
