Study abroad in Paris Past Review
By Natalia J (Management, SUNY - Binghamton) for
SUNY Oswego: Paris - La Sorbonne
I would definitely chose the same program again. My French language skills improved drastically and my knowledge of the French culture increased as well.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I think that the workload was fair, and the overall class atmosphere was much more relaxed than in the US. I especially liked how our program director was also our professor for one class. The one thing that I really did not like or ever get used to was the grading system. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I really liked our program director, Madame Garelli. I found her very helpful and understanding. However, the actual administration of the Sorbonne was very slow to process requests, such as classroom changes. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Before going abroad, I just assumed that renting out an apartment in Paris would be much more expensive than living in a dorm. However, it turns out that many of my friends who did rent apartments ended up paying a third of what the dorms cost. I think that it would be helpful to future students if the program recommended the apartment option to more students. The name of my campus was Cite Universitaire. Other than price, I think that it was adequate. It was a safe neighborhood, very close to a widely used metro. |
| * Food: |
I cooked a lot for myself; however, I enjoyed going out for meals as well. Food is much more expensive than in the US. If I were to recommend one restaurant to a future study abroad student, I would tell them to go to Crepes A Go-Go in front of the Pantheon. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The trip that was organized by our program director to the Champagne region was fun and enjoyed by a lot of the students. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Before going abroad, I expected to feel a little unsafe living in a city. However, the campus that I lived on and the district was the exact opposite. I had to see a doctor once while I was away; my program directer referred me to her doctor. |
| 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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | On personal expenses and food, I spend about 2,000 in four months. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I would have allocated more money for food. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Although I only studied abroad for four months, my language skills improved more in those four months than they did in the six years that I have studied French. A lot of people knew English; however, I found it easy to practice my French with locals. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | This program would be beneficial to any student who wants to enhance their French by taking general education classes. |
