Found in Translation August 05, 2025
By A student (Bowdoin College) - abroad from 08/26/2024 to 12/20/2024 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Poitiers
It was absolutely worthwhile. I gained much more cultural perspective from my immersion in France than I had ever managed to fully grasp from a classroom, and I made connections that not only made my time there better, but continue to impact my way of thinking and acting back home.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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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? |
N/A, had no health issues to address during my time abroad. |
| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I had a really amazing time, and many of the things I loved about my experience in Poitiers were things I hadn’t expected going into it. |
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) |
Having a host family helped a lot with costs, but Poitiers was relatively affordable for what I covered on my own. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Try to get into a routine once you have your footing. Plan for the types of expenses you’ll need to cover on a regular basis and pay attention to their baseline costs in your area so that you can build yourself a budget and not feel overwhelmed by a different financial situation. |
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? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Talk to everyone in your target language, even if it’s a struggle at first. The hard conversations are the ones that help you improve. During your personal time, it’s helpful to consume media (books, news, shows, etc) in the language too. |
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? | I think I would tell myself to look forward to and cherish the little things, because those were what trying made the experience shine overall. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
