An Unorganized Program, but a great adventure! CIS The Grand Tour Past Review
By Elizabeth R (Civil Engineering., University of Maine at Orono) - abroad from 05/25/2012 to 08/03/2012 with
Study Abroad Programs across Europe
To take advantage of all a place has to offer. The importance of art in every day life. Different lifestyles in different countires. Definitely worthwhile
Review Photos
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Florence University of the Arts IESA (Paris) Whitechapel Gallery |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Classes we're very difficult, which is probably what most students are looking for since they want to experience the country. I had to personally buy hundreds of dollars worth of art supplies and lug them around Europe with me. It would have been nice if the program had provided supplies. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
It was great in Italy. We had an AWESOME advisor and got to see a lot of the country. Not so much in Paris. I never really knew who to go to if I had a question and ti never seemed like there was ONE person in charge. Didn't get to see a whole lot of what France was about because there weren't many side trips. If we wanted to see anything other than Paris we had to pay for it and plan it ourselves. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Although both apartments were amazing, our apartment in Paris was overbooked-one person had to sleep on a pull-out couch and I had to share a bed. An extra girl was added to our apartment because she was given a one person apartment with two other people in a very unsafe part of town. Accommodations in the UK could have been better. Many of the hostel rooms were cramped. |
| * Food: |
A fair amount of the meals provided for us were in cheap locations, my own french professor who came to our goodbye dinner in Paris even said not to judge French cooking on the meal because it was very plain and A-typical. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Pretty big separation between American students and the culture, especially in Italy. It was hard to connect to locals. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Never really had health issues so I have no frame of reference, but I know that the university in Florence had a pretty good program set up. |
| * Safety: |
Be careful of pickpockets in Italy. Two of my friends were stolen from. Were across the shoulder bags in front of your body. NEVER live (or venture into much) the 19th district of Paris. Watch your possessions in all European cities and especially in train stations. Don't walk around alone at night. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
Food is VERY expensive over there, much more so than I was expecting. I basically cooked all of my own meals at home and still spend about $130 per week on food alone. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I maybe spent about $200 per week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Cook at home rather than going out to eat all the time! Get student rates and discounts! We didn't have to pay for any museums in Paris as an art student! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I took three years of Spanish in High school |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Making conversation with the locals! It also helps to have a REAL french person teaching you french because they are just going to speak at you in French all day rather than baby you like American teachers often do. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | How much food would cost. An outline of what we would be doing/where we would be going/exactly how long we would be staying in each place |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
