Paris: Better without a Home Stay Past Review
By Julia D (General Business Management, University of Saint Thomas) for
ISA Study Abroad in Paris, France
Got to know Paris better, got better at French
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Helpful |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Host family was not friendly. Smoked a lot (2-3 cigarettes a piece at dinner alone) and wouldn't open any windows when we asked. Both of us got very sick due to this. Definitely treated as a client, were extremely limited access to the house and the daughter ignored us. |
| * Food: |
Host family always gave us one course, no dessert even one time. Didn't get the traditional experience of cheese as dessert that other students got. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Eiffel Tower, museums |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| 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? |
Roommate, class, host family. The host family spoke English because there were two other girls from a different program who didn't speak French. Yes most people spoke English. |
| 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? | The class was wonderful, but he host family was less than helpful and didn't seem to have any interest in us genuinely. The information sheet received before leaving was not helpful either, as it said they had 5 children and it turned out only 1 lived at home. Caused both my roommate and I to bring inappropriate gifts. |
