Study abroad at La Sorbonne University in Paris, France - Paris-Sorbonne University Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The work load at La Sorbonne was definitely challenging. It was a 20/hour a week class ( 5 credits). That was definitely more than enough especially with the three other 4 credit hour classes I was taking. My instructor would give us pop quizzes and exams daily. We always had homework and would go over it the following day for review. We were required to answer in french for everything, preform short stories in front of the class, and call our test grades aloud. (Every instructor has different teaching methods this is just how Madame Jeheil taught.) The French grading system is a bit different than the United States. They usually grade out of 20. It seems as though that would be a good thing but it's all relevant. Between 14-15 out of 20 is an A. Back in the States that would accumulate to a B or possibly a C. Anything above an 11 is passing. Below 10 is a fail.

On-site administration of your program

CCSF was partnered with ACCENT study abroad program. They helped provide us with our International student ID's, Le Louvre cards, on-site visits, excursions, and necessary residential services. The front desk ACCENT assistant Kate was not very pleasant. While working in the customer service industry your natural inclination is to be a friendly people person. Well Kate was definitely not qualified for the position. As to why she was working there? No idea. Every day asking her a simple question " Hey Kate can you please fax this for me" was horrible. I never felt so out of place for asking a receptionist to do a simple task. Doing her job was a problem for her. There were multiple student who complained about the lack of respect she had for them. The two other front desk staff members were kinda and helpful. Adreien and Matthieu were both very friendly. We had internet problems in our room and Adrein was always around to help assist us in making sure we were getting a connection. The entire ACCENT staff was very good about informing us about any local or national events such as strikes, academic updates, and etc.. The teachers at ACCENT weren't always the best prepared and they were very tough graders! Given the information we had, the instructors weren't very clear on certain academic assignments. They were always really vague about what was going to be on the midterm or final. There was a lot of information we needed to know and have memorized in a very short amount of time.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Always have medical insurance before you go abroad. I broke my wrist while studying in November and was able to seek medical attention. It's always a safe bet

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

Speaking everyday french is never a problem in France. The people there actually prefer to speak their native language over english. I know, weird right? Well really, It's only natural. There were times where I would attempt to speak french and they would respond back to me in english or they would say " Mademoiselle, tu peux parler en anglais." Other times they would only respond to me in French with little to no english translation. It really depends on who you talk to but generally people in France prefer to speak French unless they are fluent in english and have some respect for you. They do respect the efforts made to try and speak with them in french, but don't be offended if they laugh.

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• Apartment
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• Americans