Talloires: The Most Beautiful Place in the World Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The two classes that I took in Talloires were fantastic. I took French 191 (a french lit class) and EC91 Globalization and Human Rights. The class times were in 2.5 hour blocks which sometimes felt really long but it allowed more indepth discussion. The work load was relatively fair for trying to squeeze a semester into 6 weeks but I never felt over work. I learned a lot from our teachers who I got to know outside of the classroom as well. Also, the field trips for the class were awesome. For example, in my EC91 class, we were learning about international trade and human rights and one day we were able to visit the WTO (world trade organization) and the ILO (International trade organization.)

On-site administration of your program

Gabriella and Adam and the interns did a fantastic job facilitating the program and making sure everything went smoothly. They were there to help with host family problems as well as anything else, like find a hostel in Geneva or a ride to your hike.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My housing situation was amazing. I lived with one other American girl but we had our own rooms. Our host parents were very nice and made us great food everyday. We were very lucky to get such a nice house with a pool and we always felt safe walking home at night (together.)

It is expensive to eat out and your host family will provide you with 3 meals a day (in most cases) but on occasion, lunches can get monotonous or be hit or miss. Be prepared for lots and lots of bread and cheese (something I normally don't eat a lot of) and large dinners.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

We went on some of the most amazing hikes (organized by the school and by ourselves.) I did 2 overnight hikes where I stayed at a refuge with a hot meal and they were truly the highlights of my experience.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I didn't have any health problems so I can't comment on that but safety wise, a city, even a small one, still has some sketchy aspects to it. As a girl, I would occasionally be harassed if I were alone or with just one other girl but if we had a boy with us, we usually got by very well.

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

I spoke only french with my host family since they didn't speak english and french during my french literature class, but other than that, all of the students were American and so the majority of the time I was immersed in English, not French.

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• Host Family

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• Americans
• Host Family

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• Americans