Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Go to Paris for a challenging but beautifully immersive experience Past Review

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 08/28/2019 to 01/17/2020 with

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Paris

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
The ability to handle cultural immersion and academics in another language.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

I found it disheartening that the amount of support and advice we were given was often very surface-level, felt like more for PR and to keep the image of the institution clean with the home base at Middlebury than to actually advise us

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I regret not living in a homestay, or with other international students rather than a homestay full of french students.

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

n/a

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

It is a truly immersive experience that - challenges and all - is what makes going abroad worth it.

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)

Paris is a very expensive city.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? About 200-250 a week.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? It's tough because friends who lived with host families were served many meals at home, yet the cost of homestay versus a foyer is very high. I would say come abroad with money saved up for when you're in a pinch, keep an expenses journal, and plan out times when you go out to eat and stuff like that because it's easy otherwise to get caught up in daily unnecessary expenses and lose track of your budget until you're struggling to make it through the end of the week.

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

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? Fren0222
How many hours per day did you use the language?
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? Follow the honor code and encourage it through communication with friends you'll be studying abroad with, starting before you leave!

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
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?
  • Paris, itself
  • My classes within the program
  • The few friendly french people I befriended
* What could be improved?
  • More support involved with courses at Parisian universities - and maybe less courses taken there
  • More on-hand support and ready-made procedures available through Centre Madeleine
  • More resources for students looking to budget
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? That school would be so challenging, but that it would all feel worth it through that challenge. And that it's worth going with a close friend after all!

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.
The Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Modernism & The French Novel
Course Department: FREN
Instructor: Alazet Salle Monet
Instruction Language: French
Comments:
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Advanced French II
Course Department: French
Instructor: Patrick Guédon
Instruction Language: French
Comments:
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Philosophy of Law
Course Department: PHIL
Instructor: Fanny Rollet
Instruction Language: French
Comments:
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Study of Dewey's "How We Think"
Course Department: PHIL
Instructor: Marion Vorms
Instruction Language: French
Comments:
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

France and Africa
Course Department: PSCI
Instructor: Boniface Mongo-Mboussa
Instruction Language: French
Comments:
Credit Transfer Issues: