Study Abroad Cannot be Described in One Phrase Past Review
By Jacqueline G (French, Economics, Tufts University) for
Tufts Programs Abroad: Tufts in Paris
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Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Institut Catholique de Paris (FASSE), Université de Paris III- Sorbonne Nouvelle |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
French universities were an interesting experience in the sense that I got to see just how different their system is but in terms of learning it was very much inferior to coursework in the U.S. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration operated like any French organization, slowly and somewhat ineffectively. When hiccups as far as registration, finding the right classes, differences in grading between different French professors, etc. came up, the program did not respond with the urgency that should be necessary in a program for an American university. Technology (computers and printers) available to students were also outdated and generally did not work properly. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My location was great but the family was not. My host mother often made my time with the family very awkward and I quickly learned that the best way to avoid inevitable frustration with their way of treating me was to spend as little time with them as possible. I was treated very much like a client. |
| * Food: |
bad food and very insufficient in terms of quantity |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I just wish that I had been able to make more connections with French students. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
students with common sense don't tend to have any problems |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I received 400 euros per month as a stipend. This was enough to cover basic costs and some extra but shopping definitely put me over that limit as well as traveling. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Food and going out is very expensive, you just have to accept it. Trying to find cheaper places hardly ever works and leads to a lot of frustration and no fun. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | French 32 (literature) |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
While I lived with a host family, I feel like I would have gotten much more speaking experience if I had lived with other students (French or other international). I didn't feel comfortable socializing with my host family very much and speaking with them also did not help me learn the kind of French that my French peers (in university, for example) speak outside of class. |
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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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
French Literature (Middle Ages-18th century) |
| Course Department: | FR191 |
| Instructor: | Elisabeth Higonnet-Dugua |
| Instruction Language: | French |
| Comments: | This was the best class I took in France. Professor Higonnet-Dugua is fantastic and really pushes students to improve their speaking, reading, and writing. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | no |
