Great academics, very supportive on-site staff, but bad host family experience. January 25, 2026

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The Middlebury courses were pretty rigorous, but the Sorbonne nouvelle ones weren't. I mean, we didn't have homework at SN, but just two exams per course. There were plenty of resources for the Middlebury courses!

On-site administration of your program

The directors and administrators were very helpful, kind, and understanding. I could tell they liked their jobs, enjoyed helping students, and genuinely cared about us, how we're doing, and what we're doing.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My host family was cold, made no effort to spend time with me or be nice to me, was very judgmental, and I was basically just living in my room in their apartment, seemingly kind of against their will at times. They made basically no effort to help me or make me feel welcome, they weren't even home the day I arrived, and they were often even rude, making unpleasant comments, including sexist, racist, and homophobic ones. I was honestly very disappointed in my host family. It felt like I was an unwanted guest, starting with our correspondence even prior to my arrival in Paris. Also, we (the host family and I) had to move two weeks after my arrival, which was okay, but super unexpected for me. The first apartment I arrived at was unpleasant and not ready to live in comfortably. The fridge was not working when I arrived, despite the fact that I had clearly stated in my housing questionnaire that I would arrive with medication that needed to be refrigerated and even confirmed this with Host Families in Paris, the Middlebury center was closed since it was a Sunday, Host Families in Paris wasn't picking up the phone, and neither was my host family. Given how I depend on this medication, this put me in a super stressful situation for many hours, and right upon my arrival too. There were no lamps on the ceiling, walls were cracked, the carpet was kind of filthy, and the apartment was depressing with a lot of things packed in boxes. This is how I spent my first two weeks in Paris, in a very depressing apartment, confused about how and when and if we were moving, and I'm very glad we did change apartments because the new apartment we moved into was just next door and was very nice, but I think the host family should have been established in their permanent living situation prior to my arrival. I'm very disappointed in the organization Host Families in Paris. It neither correctly screens host families, not places students well. They also delayed the return of my $1,000 security deposit, without communicating with me when they would return it, despite me having asked multiple times.

The food my host family prepared was decent overall, but nothing exceptional. We regularly ate the same thing, like breakfast was bread and butter or cereal every single day and the three dinners a week were frequently similar, but the food wasn't bad. I had written in my housing form that I don't eat raw meat, fish, or eggs, and yet my host family prepared a soup with a raw egg for me once, indicating that they either hadn't read my dietary restrictions or hadn't been informed in the first place. Otherwise, it's hard to find decently priced, good food in Paris, and I was mostly eating processed, pre-packaged, store-bought food for lunch.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I already felt pretty integrated with the local culture prior to going to Paris because my closest friend and roommate in the U.S. is French and I spend lots of time with her and her family, including in France. Also, my U.S. French courses did a great job of preparing me for what to expect and I'd already lived in Europe and been to France frequently before studying abroad. So, I felt comfortable with the culture from before, but my host family did nothing to help me integrate further. They didn't explain local customs or traditions to me, didn't make me part of their cultural life, and didn't even cook a lot of traditional food for me. The on-site administrators were really good at helping us integrate, though. They shared tips on social norms, invited people to give lectures on traditions and holidays, and organized fun cultural outings. My host family invited me to watch a movie with them once

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I went to the ER three times, and had multiple doctor's appointments too. I broke my foot, which required more experience with the healthcare system. Overall it was okay and navigable. I had to ask a pharmacist what to do and how to find the nearest hospital the first time I had to go to the ER because it was after the Middlebury Center had closed, but she was helpful and the system is not hard to navigate. I think a lot of us didn't pay close attention to the presentation on health care the week of orientation, not expecting to run into health issues, but in any case the Middlebury staff were super sweet and helpful. They assisted me in filling out reimbursement requests, making appointments, and other administrative things. When I broke my foot they regularly checked in with me to see how I was doing and one of the coordinators even went to a pharmacy to ask about getting crutches, which was super sweet! They even checked in with me on a holiday when they weren't at work and tried to help me fix my orthopedic boot when it broke. Filing for reimbursements was pretty easy and although dealing with health issues was tough at times, I don't think it was much harder than dealing with them anywhere else. I guess it would be nice if we could receive information on the nearest hospital/ER to our living location and how to get there, in case we should need it, perhaps as part of our living arrangement information maybe. That would have alleviated the stress of having to figure all this out the first time. My host family wasn't helpful in these situations and the first two times I had health issues they weren't even at home.

I expected to feel unsafe and scared in Paris, but I very rarely did. There were a couple of occasions where I felt a bit uncomfortable, but given what a big city it is, I think it deserves nearly five stars because even coming back late at night, taking the metro all the time, including with a broken foot, I felt generally quite safe.

I would recommend the program overall, but I would not choose a host family again. One course I took at the Middlebury Center, taught by an exceptional professor, as well as the on-site staff made the experience worthwhile. I had a challenging time abroad, largely due to my host family situation and health issues, but that one course gave me a sense of purpose, motivation, and passion throughout the program. The Middlebury staff were consistently friendly, helpful, and supportive. I even returned to the Center a month after the program ended and was welcomed very warmly, which reinforced how supported I have always felt there. While the host family experience significantly diminished the overall charm of the program, the academic side was generally strong. I absolutely loved one course, really liked one, felt neutral about three, and disliked one; overall, the quality of the courses was good, and the one outstanding class helped make up for most of the others being less engaging.

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

I was aiming to spend $75 a week, but ended up spending double that, despite trying to stick to my budget.

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

We had a language pledge and the program always encouraged us to speak French. We technically weren't even allowed to speak English, but many students still did outside of the program, but that was their personal choice and not something the program could control.

Select all that apply

• Host Family

Select all that apply

• Host Family

Select all that apply

• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• The supportive on-site program directors and coordinators
• One of my courses and professor
• My close friend in the program

• The organization Host Families in Paris
• The metro pass could be paid for by the program, as it seems to be with APA or CUPA