Past Review
By pickleb4sandwich (Government/French, New Mexico State University) for
NRCSA: Nice - French Language Institute
This language program was DEFINITELY worth it! It gave me four weeks before my university program began to become acquainted with the city and hone my language skills. I'd do it again in a heartbeat!
Personal Information
| The term and year this program took place: | Fall 2008 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
It was a very good language program with great instructors. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Everybody was very helpful and understanding! Any problems were dealt with quickly and efficiently. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Housing with this program is luck of the draw. Certain housing situations are better than others, but if there's ever any problem, the school is more than willing to work with you. My housing experience was pretty good. My host mom was very nice but there was no internet connection available at the house which was difficult since I had no other way to communicate with my family. The room was clean, private, and comfortable, not to mention, only a 5 minute walk to the amazing Promenade des Anglais, Old City, and of course, the beach! |
| * Food: |
It's France, of course the food is amazing! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
There were lots of small, inexpensive excursions lead by the school that were fun. After a few weeks they begin to get a bit repetitive, but since they are so inexpensive, it's no big deal to go more than once! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I had one incident with a homeless man attempting to rob me near my host family's home since it was near where most of the beggars are, but luckily I was able to run away and find help easily. Just like anywhere in the world, at home or abroad, I recommend using general safety common sense like not walking anywhere alone or not wearing shoes and clothing that may attract unwanted attention or that may hinder you if you need to move quickly. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | There weren't really any unexpected expenses with this program. Just be ware if you eat at sit down restaurants a lot because it is generally pretty expensive. |
Language
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I learned a lot of new vocabulary and was able to revamp the old grammar that I'd forgotten. |
A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | This is a great program for the cost. It was on of the least expensive programs and I couldn't imagine it going any better. I learned a lot of French and all of the staff and teachers were great! If you're thinking about doing a language program in Nice or even just in France, I'd take a serious look at this program! The ONLY down side to this program was that they started new students each week so there were always people coming and going. By the end of the fourth week, it became a bit depressing having to say goodbye at the end of each week. |
