Agriculture in France: Not Just Sows, Cows, and Plows Past Review
By Megan B (Agriculture Education, Illinois State University) for
L’Ecole Superieure d’Agriculture (ESA): Angers - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
The trip was definitely worthwhile! I loved every minute of it (except for the airports!). The program also informed me of a Master's degree program at the host university, which I will apply for because the program moved me.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I absolutely loved the program! The educational system is a bit different in that the school day is longer and the grading system is different. The educational environment seems very competitive! The workload was very light. Our only assignment was a group project to be worked on over the course of the four weeks, so it was not difficult to find time to do it. I enjoyed the farm tours the most along with our other excursions to Saint Malo, Normandy, Mont St. Micel and others. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I felt that the trip was very well organized by the coordinators at the host school. A weakness of the program is the long length of each class. The farm tours and excursions were a definite strength to the program because they helped me to better understand the host country. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I adored my host family. They made me feel very welcome and included me in their everyday activities, not just at mealtimes. My host family's home was very close to the school, and I walked there everyday. The area was very safe. I only had to provide my own toiletries. Everything else was included. |
| * Food: |
The coordinators of the program made sure to provide special meals to the vegetarian students. The quality of food was excellent. The food is definitely in abundance. Watch out for the bread, though, as it is very tough! If anyone is missing the taste of America, there are two McDonald's in town. The resto U was not my favorite place to eat however. It was free, but the food was the same substandard food that is served in high school cafeterias. The meals with the host family were the best food I had eaten in France. The meals were very fresh. Try to get them to serve escargots. They are amazing! |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I enjoyed the excursions to other farms and famous locations in the northwest. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
I felt very safe in Angers. No problems here. Just try to travel in groups after dark. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
|
Finances
|
* 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) |
|
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | On food- $15 per week, On shops and souvenirs- $50-$200 per week, Incidentals including extra toiletries- $5-10 per week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | For those who like to engage in retail therapy, be careful. There are four long weeks of opportunities to spend, spend, spend. Beforehand, budget your expenses and separate the money to be used for souvenirs to guarantee to have enough. Try to also pack light so as not to have to buy an extra suitcase on the way back! I wish the program coordinators had informed us of the two free weekends in the program. When we got there and learned of them, train tickets to where we wanted to go were way expensive, so we were limited to locations near the city of Angers. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 101A and B, partial intermediate |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
|
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Lots of people in France speak English, but in Angers, there were fewer people who were fluent in English. It was very helpful to me to have come to France already knowing how to speak French. I used the language in shops, restaurants, the airport, and tourist locations. I also used French with my host family, who did not speak very much English. |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Students studying agriculture and French language would benefit most from this program. |
