Important to Do at Least Once, but More Difficult for Some Disciplines July 29, 2025
By A student (Biology, Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/04/2025 to 05/20/2025 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Paris
I think I learned much more about my own wants and needs, how independent I can be, and more empathy and understanding towards others who have different perspectives than me. I believe studying abroad is truly a worthwhile and formative experience for any young-adult.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The courses I took at the Madeleine Center in Paris, which were directly affiliated with Middlebury College, were fairly rigorous and there were enough resources to support us. However, at my partner university where I took my biology courses, I felt there was a lack of rigor and a lack of support, especially in the beginning of my program, which made it feel very easy to slip through the cracks. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration was fairly receptive towards our critiques of the program and tried to help those enrolled in life sciences with finals preparation to the best of their ability. I had wished there was more communication between them and my host university, but I understand that with large institutions, it can be difficult to keep track of all the moving pieces. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I had a wonderful host mother, and I enjoyed living with another housemate from the program. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
All in all, it is a large city, so it is worth noting that you still should be careful walking around at night alone. However, I felt safe here for the majority of the time and the main issue is just the pickpocketing and petty theft on more populated streets and metro stations. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I would have liked something a little more rigorous for science, and maybe something that could have coutned towards my degree. However, I did appreciate all of the cultural events the administration scheduled for us, and I felt like it gave me a good taste of French culture while I was there. |
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? | Probably around $150 to $175 a week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If you can find local trattoirs, they sell large amounts of hot food for around 10 dollars. It's a very good deal for when you can't cook but don't have the money to eat out at a restaurant. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
We were not allowed to speak English during the program |
| 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? | An intermediate-advanced level course |
| 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? | Just speaking it, especially if you have a host family, makes a huge difference. I would also watch youtube videos about the different tenses to help me understand how/when to use them. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| 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? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | The difficulty of trying to advocate for myself, especially in my second-language in a place I had never navigated before. Additionally, the fatigue that comes with always speaking in your second language and the heightened self-conciousness. It takes a while to get over this feeling. |
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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Une histoire de l'art : art et société en France (17e au 20e siècles) |
| Course Department: | Art History |
| Instructor: | Ariane Lemieux |
| Instruction Language: | French |
| Comments: | This class was challenging in its assignments, but I enjoyed the format and they ways we were able to demonstrate our understanding of the content. I participated a fair amount in class, but there were less opportunities to do so compared to my home institution where discussion is encouraged more. The teacher was very knowledgable, although I did find it was difficult to follow every lecture as the content was not broken up and sometimes it just felt like being talked at. I understand that this is a facet of French methodology, I just wish it had been a little more interactive. However, there are mandatory excursions to museums that help break up the structure of the class a bit. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I did not receive credit for this class |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Français avancé |
| Course Department: | French |
| Instructor: | Lara Ianetta |
| Instruction Language: | French |
| Comments: | This course was challenging, depending on your level of French grammar knowledge going into it. I had wished that we spent more time on certain aspects of grammar that were difficult for the class to understand, as I felt that things were relatively rushed, while we spent time on other unnecessary activities. The class definitely did help me learn more about certain tenses and grammar rules, but there were times where I felt intimitaded to talk or discouraged from doing so due to the way in which we were corrected. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I did not receive credit for this class. |
