Montpellier: A Semester of Broken Promises Past Review
By Rachel T (French Language and Literature., SUNY - College at Geneseo) for
SUNY Geneseo: Montpellier - Universite Paul Valery - Montpellier III
My knowledge of the language improved greatly, but it was the worst semester of college I have ever experienced.
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Workload was too easy; professors didn't really care about the students, as long as they were doing the work. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Very little aid from study abroad office, most questions could not be answered, were unclear, or were answered incorrectly. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I was in an unsafe area and experienced several of my friends being mugged while walking to my house. Prostitutes stood on my street corner. I was treated as a client. I was told this would be a homestay, but the only interaction with my host "father" was to collect the rent. |
| * Food: |
Inexpensive grocery store within walking distance |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Learned many familiar phrases, usually while making mistakes and being made fun of by native speakers. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I personally had no physical health experiences, but mental health issues were completely ignored. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Almost everyone spoke English. I expected to be able to talk with my host family, but it was a single man and he was never around. The only speakers I could interact with on a regular basis were other students studying abroad. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Make sure you know exactly what you're getting into. This program was not what I pictured when I thought I would be studying abroad in France. The homestay I was assigned was not a homestay at all. |
