Paris: less than ideal in some respects, but life-changing in others Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I feel like I learned a good deal, but I definitely learned much more just through speaking with the locals than I did through class activities and tours. I thought the workload was fair, but I did not think it was fair that the professor gave us extra work to "punish" us because she thought that certain people had been disrespectful. Additionally, I felt like it was unfair because she added quizzes as part of our grade, which were not listed in the syllabus and therefore should not be counted since they were not mentioned up front.

On-site administration of your program

Claire was overall, a very good leader. She was caring and kind, and had good authority, but also gave us the freedom to explore on our own. She easily addressed any of my concerns and I felt comfortable traveling with her.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

In terms of safety, I felt very comfortable about where we stayed. the hotel was very close to a metro stop, which made our travel very convenient. The hotel itself, however, was less than desirable. Though it was clean, the rooms were extremely small and bare. We were given only bath towels, not hand or face towels, and there was no air conditioning. We had to open the windows at night because the room was so hot, but the loud street noise made it hard to sleep, and the smell of smoke from outside was very strong. Additionally, we found a really large cockroach in our room, which was really disturbing. The other thing that bothered me, as well as other students, was that there was no place in the hotel to get water. At night if we got thirsty and all the stores were closed, there was nowhere to get fresh water. The accommodations were certainly bearable, but they were much less than ideal.

The meals at the planned events were pretty good. I would say that our meal on the first night, at les fetes galantes, was very good! I really enjoyed the food that night! the food at our farewell dinner was decent, but nothing special. In terms of breakfast, we had very few choices and by the end of the trip, i never wanted to eat another croissant again. Our lunches consisted mostly of grabbing a sandwich at a street vendor, and dinners were often quick too. I felt like I didnt get to eat healthy which was very stressful for me because I eat really healthy at home. I wish that we'd had time to get a healthier lunch and that we were given more options at breakfast.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

the best part of the trip was just being immersed in the culture. I met some very nice people, and I learned the most by just talking to the people around me. I thoroughly enjoyed just being able to talk to the locals!

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Overall, I felt pretty safe. We did have one experience where a pickpocket tried to approach someone in our group, but the professor saw it in time and made a loud comment that scared the girl who was trying to steal from our bags. As long as you hold your bag close to you, you should be fine.

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

I felt comfortable speaking French with any of the people around me. Although many of the people spoke english, I found it easier to communicate in French because it was more comfortable for them. I would say that I definitely needed to use the host language in everyday situations, and our instructor really encouraged us to speak French whenever possible.

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