C'est tout clair maintenant! (It's all clear now!) - France: Language, Community & Social Change Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

SIT: France is a very intense, French language and culture immersion program. By living with a host family and completing 60 hours of service for your community service project (CSP), and classes devoted to French history/ culture/ and daily life, it is impossible to not learn the French language during your study abroad experience. WARNING: If you are expecting to party the whole time while you study abroad, this is not the program for you. The program is strict on attendance, and for the most part, you will have class Monday through Friday at 8:00 AM. Also, there isn't much opportunity to travel outside of Toulouse (except with the program on the 3 day excursion to Lot and the 10 day village stay to the Pyrenees Orientales) except the weekends, so you have to stay relatively close if you want to make it back in time for class on Monday. Therefore, if you want to travel around Europe/France for a bit, I recommend extending your stay after the program for a couple of weeks.

On-site administration of your program

The professors and administrators were very helpful and always within contact.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

All students stay with a host family for this program. For me, it was difficult at first to click with my host family, but after I got a better grasp of the language, it was easier for me to feel more at home. For the 10 day village study, you also stay with another host family in the Pyrenees Orientales. This was my favorite part of the entire program. While it is not technically a break from school work (you will have to complete a 5 page paper and prepare a 15 minuter presentation on the topic of your choice related to the village stay), the host families try their best to make it the most like a vacation.

I ate about 80% of my meals with my host family and they were amazing cooks! You are expected to get lunch on your own because you're at school during the day, but the program gives you a stipend of 6 euros a day for lunch, so don't worry about going hungry.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

For the most part, we were well integrated into the culture. This program is great about giving you a taste of what authentic French life is like. I had a lot of friends studying abroad at the same time as me, but from what they told me, they were basically living their same American lifestyles while they were abroad. This program is great about

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I only got a couple minor colds during this program, so I didn't have to utilize the health plan, but a couple students did and from my knowledge they were more than satisfied with the coverage the health plan provided.

I never felt as if I was unsafe. I know there are some areas in Toulouse which are not the safest looking, but for the most part, the program keeps you in the main part of the city.

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

Food, housing, and transportation are all provided for you. Therefore, any money you bring is pretty much play money.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

Every class and every assignment is completed in French.

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• Host Family

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• Host Family

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• Americans
• International Students

• The Village Stay was my favorite part of the entire program because of the family I stayed with. They were a wonderful retired couple who remind you why it was so fun to spend a week at your grandparent's house when you were young.

• I would disperse out the workload a little bit more. At the end, things were very hectic and it was kind of difficult to enjoy my last days in France when I had so much homework and exams to study for.