My life changing experience in France: The good, the bad, and the chaos of french culture Past Review
By Corinne W (French/Linguistics/Communication, Western Washington University) for
ISEP Exchange: Caen - Exchange Program at Université de Caen
Absolutely, it changed me life. Its not for everybody though, I wont lie when I say it was very hard. Really introverted people will struggle to make friends, you have to be tough, independent, and confident.
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. |
Its very unorganized and not at all like the American system. The profs really care though. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
French communication by American standards is poor at best, but honestly its just a culture thing so you have to get over it. I am very OCD and I like things all in order and French Uni is pure chaos. The admin were not there half the time, did not communicate to us students so we wandered about confused a lot in the beginning, and they were often quite rude. Half of the school year the profs were all on strike and NOBODY uses email to communicate its ridiculous. I would have to get up and get ready and go to class before I noticed the doors blocked by chairs and no one there. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Housing was okay, the cleaning ladies can be quite rude though. Security was ridiculous as well and I had many problems with the director. |
| * Food: |
French food is awesome. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The good friendships, the good food, and Amsterdam. Studying abroad is hard and it often sucks, but its also the best thing I have ever done in my life. It has shaped me, and thanks to my French friends I am fluent in French and continue to listen and read in French daily. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Homeless people kept sneaking into our dorms and raiding the kitchens, smearing our food everywhere. |
| 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 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I practiced my French with everybody I met, including my French boyfriend who I met at a bar. |
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? | Be prepared, read blogs by others, and expect that things may go wrong and not always as planned. In my opinion, I always expect things to be awful and I still go with a smile, and if you set low expectations you are always happy and thankful for what you get. |
