Transformative July 28, 2025
By A student (Neuroscience and French, Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/05/2025 to 05/30/2025 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Poitiers
It was extremely worthwhile. I feel like I have changed so much as a person; I am so much more resilient and confident. I have improved my French by so much! I have made new lifelong friends. I have learned so much and how to be much more independent. I still can't believe I was lucky enough to experience this.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
It was really great to have been set up with tutors for my classes through the assistance of Middlebury and was really helpful. I found that the history course each person in the Middlebury Poitiers program was required to take was overly intense for it to be only a half credit class. I also was the only student who was switched into taking full time French language classes instead of my original schedule, and the hours for this class made my schedule extremely packed with a couple days a week having over 6 hours of class. This was much more hours of class time than the other students and I often wonder if my French would have actually improved more if I had just stayed with my original schedule. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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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? |
University healthcare was decent, but other healthcare experiences I had outside of the university were awful-just very rude and insensitive. It was not very easy to access my prescriptions I receive in the US, but I figured it out. I will also say I received really wonderful support for the program in finding a therapist. |
| * Safety: |
Poitiers felt very safe overall! |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
If I could go back, I would choose Poitiers every single time! I fell in love with the city- it was the perfect size for me and I felt like I got a very authentic French immersion experience that was not plagued at all but large amounts of tourism and things like that. My host family was also wonderful and I am so grateful to have had them. I wish I could go back! |
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) |
Although there were some pricier up front expenses, I found overall it was quite affordable. I think my host family was a really great choice especially because I did not have to worry about cooking and buying groceries- just had to get myself lunch during the week so it was pretty manageable in that way. University lunch was very affordable at around 3 euros. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Maybe like 40 euros max a week? Not too sure, but not that much. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Stay with a host family! |
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 |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| 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? | French 209 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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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? | Things get better! The first couple months were some of the hardest of my life. Even though there were good parts within those months too, it was harder than I ever though being far from home and away from friends etc. But it does get better and so does the language it just takes time! |
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: |
17th Century France and Poitou |
| Course Department: | History |
| Instructor: | Fabrice Vigier |
| Instruction Language: | French |
| Comments: | It was extremely challenging for me- I think first of all it being in French was difficult and second off there was just a lot of content to memorize for exams. We also had to read a journal written by a French person during the 16th century in Poitiers, which was quite difficult with it being much older French with also many spelling errors. I was at times scared to ask questions in class because the professor would sometimes be very condescending if we asked questions. We were assessed by exams and a presentation with a written piece with it. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No problems with this course for credit transfer |
