The best part was coming back home. Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I enjoyed my classes at the Middlebury Center; I learned a lot and the professors were great. I did not enjoy my classes at Paris 7. Most students would agree with my in saying that the academic experience in Paris is not enjoyable. If you guys want to improve the program, have students take 3 classes at the Middlebury center and 2 at a Paris University.

On-site administration of your program

I think that they are very nice people, but I feel they should be more concerned with the well-being of the students. Orientation week is pretty overwhelming and they didn't make it any easier. Later on in the program, I had to reach out to let them know that I was not okay. I feel that if I hadn't made the decision to talk to them about it, I would have just fallen through the cracks.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My room was nice and fairly big. It was a 15min walk from Paris 7 University and a quick 30min train ride to the Middlebury Center. On paper it all sounded great. However, the host family was extremely unpleasant. For almost the entire time I was there, I felt like I was renting a room, and not like I was staying with a family. I understand that it was a special situation because there was an autistic child in the family, and I was very understanding of that, but I felt unwelcome. Whenever I was in the kitchen making breakfast or dinner, I was told that I made to much noise. I felt as though I had to be as quiet as a mouse at all times. At one point, they wanted me to make my breakfast at night, so as to not make noise in the morning. During a discussion with the host person, she even raised her voice at me and I felt very disrespected because I had done nothing but be respectful of her home and her family. I could go on and on with examples. In the end, I couldn't take it anymore so I had a meeting with the woman who runs Host Families in Paris. I asked her to talk to my host family and see if things could change. So, with two weeks left in Paris, I told my host mom that I would not come back to Paris for the spring semester. She then proceeded to apologize for her behavior, she told me that I was a wonderful person and that I was welcome in her house when I returned to Paris. She even took me out for lunch. I left on a good note, but that doesn't erase everything I went through during the semester. My housing situation made my already difficult experience abroad even more difficult. I think that Middlebury should find a new company to match students with host families, let students find their own apartments or provide more student dorm options. I feel as though students have to completely concede and mold to the host family, but since the student is paying, both sides should have to adjust; it shouldn't be one-sided.

The food prepared by my host family was not good. It was soups that came from a box, slices of french "jambon", rice, etc. One of my friends did the math and discovered that for the price of housing, each meal should be about 15 euros. My meals with my host family were definitely not 15 euros. If I had known that earlier I would have opted for less diners a week and just cooked for myself. I think that there should be certain criteria that the host families should have to meet in terms of food.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I put five stars because my problem was never integrating into french culture and language. When I was in high school, I went abroad to France through a program called EIL (experiment in international living). In that program I lived with a french family, that I now consider my second family. This time around, I tried to spend as much time with them as I could (they live in Nimes) and with their family friends in Paris. I can now say that I am proficient in French and that I have truly immersed myself in French culture, however, no thanks to the Middlebury Program.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I was never sick while I was abroad so I don't know.

I didn't feel safe in Paris.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Paris is an expensive city

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

Select all that apply

• Host Family

Select all that apply

• Host Family

Select all that apply

• Local Students
• Americans

• That it is easy to travel between European countries
• The professors at the Middlebury center

• They should change the company that places students with host families because they don't have the right criteria to chose the best host families. If students are paying, they deserve to have a good living situation.
• Students should take more classes at the Middlebury Center. It would ease their stress levels.
• There should be more support for students and understanding that being abroad is difficult emotionally.

The Nearly Native or Trail Blazer