Paris with Sarah Lawrence Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The workload was not difficult, but the fact that everything had to be done in French made things much more difficult. The grading system is very different from that of the US - getting 12/20 is like a B there. Nobody ever gets a perfect score and even 90% is very, very rare. Don't expect to ace anything. Grades are converted to American scores with this in mind - don't worry. Teaching methods are similar, but more lecture-based and less interactive, even in small classes. French students in the universities don't seem to really care about learning and often have full conversations between each other in the middle of class. Some teachers try to prevent this, some don't.

On-site administration of your program

The people working for Sarah Lawrence in Paris were very helpful and nice. They were readily available and willing to help. They were knowledgeable on France and its educational system. The program size was smaller than I would have liked (only 15 people), but that's not something they chose by design. They usually have more people than that.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My neighborhood was the 11th arrondissement of Paris and is very safe and near many restaurants and bars. I was close to a good metro stop and I felt my location was great. Bedding, towels, and cookware were all provided. My host family was only a woman, which was disappointing, but she was very nice. There was also another international student there. I wish I had lived with a full French family, but overall I didn't mind my living situation that much. The other student was very nice and we often went out together. My living situation was not conducive to learning French, though, because my host mother preferred speaking English with me (despite her being French) and the other student did not speak French.

I did not eat out as much as I wanted. It's expensive to eat out all the time. Therefore, I cooked for myself a lot. I can't cook much, so it was limited to basic meats, vegetables, and pasta. To really experience Parisian food, you need to eat out a lot, but I couldn't afford doing that for 5 months. Even a modest lunch can run over 10 euros.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

We went to Marseille during orientation, and that was great. There were many activities throughout the semester, but many were canceled because not enough people had signed up for them. This happened frequently because fewer people than usual were on the abroad program.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I felt very safe. I did have one minor health issue during my program stay (sleep-related), and this was properly and helpfully addressed by the administration there.

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

I practiced language with my French teachers and various French students that I met. I used French everyday when interacting with French people at stores and other public places. I only ever spoke English when speaking with other American students in the program. I assume many people spoke English but I always started conversations in French and they responded in French.

Select all that apply

• Host Family
• Apartment

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• International Students
• Host Family

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• Americans

• Staff
• the other students
• Class Flexibility

• More Activities and Trips
• larger number of students on the program