Paris is totally worth the pain in the ass it is to come and live here Past Review
By florian h (Rtf, The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 08/27/2012 to 01/20/2013 with
MICEFA: Paris - Study Abroad at University of Paris North
Hell yeah it was worthwhile. I definitely feel more independent and functional after living in a foreign country on my own, and i feel like i've absorbed the culture a good amount as well.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I rather liked the french education (that i experienced, in any case). Classes 3 days a week, barely any homework. Lots of work near the end of the semester (essays, projects, etc) but overall a very manageable load. I had lots of free time, then again I WAS in the film program of Saint-Denis. I'm sure the Sorbonne kids had a way different experience in this area if you know what i'm saying |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
No complaints, but no particular praises either. This is because i didn't have to deal with it much - lots of my friends in the program with OFII and visa issues and whatnot would probably have much worse things to say, however. Safe to say it helps to have an EU citizenship. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My first housing was atrocious, but that's my fault for being lazy and going with the first good-looking place. Once my landlords kicked me out for the horrible crime of having a (night)life, my new apartment was awesome, but quite expensive. Still though, overall a good experience. |
| * Food: |
real french food is excellent obviously, but mad expensive. I cooked for myself as much as possible, therefore i give myself 5 stars. Also, french McDonalds is much better than American McDonalds. Oh and baguettes & nutella. need i say more? |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
kind of. again this one's my fault for mainly hanging out with my american (and lovely canadian) friends. whatever, je ne regrette rien |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
i had to buy aspirin once |
| * Safety: |
if you're in paris, KEEP YOUR F--ING GUARD UP for real. especially if you're out late at night. I've had multiple friends get mugged, also my jacket with my ipod in it was stolen once at a bar when i put it down to go get freaky on the d-flo. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
|
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) |
its Paris so obviously it's mad expensive to live here compared to the states. I'd say i spent about an average of 300 euro a month on regular expenses. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | do your grocery shopping at LIDL. you can get a case of 24 beers for 4.60 euro. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
|
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
well we had that "intensive program." honestly the amount of language you use is totally up to you, you can hang out almost exclusively with other anglophones (like i did ha) and not really pick up everyday french, or you can make tons of french friends and you'll probably learn the language much better than i did. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | got a 5 on the French 4 AP exam junior year of high school. |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
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 |
|
| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | that there is a much higher amount of people not giving a sh*t in this country because it's basically impossible to get fired from your job because of their laws. hence, the bureaucracy and organization in general. almost no french professer EVER will give you their email (one of mine was cool and did, but i think i got super lucky on that one) |
