Past Review
By Abby B (Music and French, Berea College) for
KIIS: Caen - Experience Caen, France (Spring Semester)
It was worthwhile. I did this program not knowing a single other person who would be going, and it made me much more confident and independent.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | University of Caen |
| 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. |
The workload was much lighter in France, 1-2 pages of reading or a paragraph to write was the maximum homework given overnight. The grading was a small part participation and mostly based on the final tests which weren't part of our program. The teaching was more often lecture than discussion, but was similar to my home university. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administrators were very helpful, though not always easy to contact without an appointment. They were natives, and so had a wonderful knowledge of the host country. They weren't able to help us figure out how our classes would transfer, but that is more the fault of the American side of things. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I was living with a family in a house that was a 4 minute walk from school. My family was very kind. <br /><br /> The program arranged my family, but the house and neighbor hood were very nice. The house was close to school and not too far from tram or bus stops if I went further than downtown. |
| * Food: |
I love French food and was pleased with almost everything I ate. The school's cafeteria was crazy busy at lunchtime, but it was the cheapest option and was good food. My favourite restaurant was Mezzo di Pasta. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
There were several great excursions in the country that helped us learn history and culture and meet others in the program. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
My host city felt very safe. I didn't have any experience with the healthcare while abroad. |
| 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? | It depended on what activities I did. I spent about 60 Euro on food because I ate with my host family, which was more expensive than than the cafeteria. Unless I went shopping That was usually all I spent money on. Though clothing and personal items like soap or toothpaste is more expensive. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | GO shopping during the sales, because it can get really expensive otherwise. Try not to buy things that can be bought here, and remember if you buy it you have to pack it when you come back. And be careful about coffee and snacking at restaurants. 5 euro everytime you go out can add up. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | FRN 310 |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I was practicing my language skills with everyone, because I was living with a host family and many of my classmates didn't speak(or weren't comfortable speaking)English. Some people did speak English, but I used French everyday. |
| 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?
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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? | Make friends with the internationals. There are Americans, but you are less likely to practice your French. |
Individual Course Reviews
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