Tufts in Paris: as magical as the city itself. Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The beauty of the Tufts in Paris program is the perfect blend of classes being lead by Tufts Professors and the other half directly in the Parisian university system. The Tufts professors tailor their curriculum to the American system and so you will have small discussion based interactive lessons with the workload broken off into managable scheduling. The parisian component, while essential into understanding the french neurosis, will make you appreciate your home university so much more. The Tufts Professors are also much more accessible seeing as they solely work for us rather than scattering themselves amongst several Universités de Paris. We have field trips and gouters and its frankly a more chill environment.

On-site administration of your program

Super helpful. The Director, Sheila Bayne, studied abroad herself in Paris, speaks french perfectly and is quite the globetrotter herself.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

You will most likely live in 16th arrondisement. Which is essentially the Park Avenue of Paris in neighborhood format times 10. Your residence may or may not look like a museum/ was designed by an architect you will learn about in Art History. Your host family will most likely be a "de" something insinuating aristocracy. Also know that the French are a much more reserved culture than the Americans. They value their privacy highly. Because of this it is already wonderful that your family would open their home up to a perfect stranger for an entire year/semester. You should feel at liberty to "make yourself at home" but be sure to open your eyes WIDE and observe the mannerisms of your family. Especially at the dinner table. My family had a set seating arrangement, I will always served first as the "guest of honor", elbows off off off etc. I am not saying that you will be a prisoner in your own home but just mind your p's and q's and be a good ambassador for America showing that we are "cultured".

France has always been seen as gastronomically superior to essentially all other forms. I have reservations about this. While classic french cuisine might taste incredible lets consider what it's actually comprised of: butter, oil, white flour, cheese, potatoes, more butter, sugar, salt, eggs, red meat, more butter. oh and wine as water. So for any of you who prefer the mediterranean fish, vegetables, and fruit route be warned that this year could be a bit challenging for you. I am a pescetarian: as in no meat but fish only, despise white flour/starched and not big on condiments. SO when my host family's specialties are soufflés, pasta, quiches, and anything my host brother hunted the weekend prior...you can see the issue. However my family stayed very cognizant of this and would always ensure there were vegetables for me, would always ask if I had had enough etc. We had fish 3 significant times during the year that I recall so my iron levels were abominable by the end but no big. I would often make my own lunch and pack it for school so as not to rely on "cafés/ brioche dorée/macdo" to stay within the student budget. Hopefully your families won't be stingy and count their avocados etc. They get obscenely well paid so it shouldn't be an issue.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

TIP arranges 1 long weekend trip per semester and various short day trips throughout France. They are all wonderful. Basically every day should and will be enriching for you in some way. Even an unexpected turn onto a sublimly charming street could leave you awe-strucken. Every day I was there I loved it more and more. Let your inhibitions go and just be. I randomly sat next to a guy on the train and we happened to be listening to the same song on our iPod. I started talking to him, he invited me to a gallery opening the next day and introduced me to some of his friends. I clicked with them so well, we stayed in touch, I threw them dinner parties, we'd have 5 hour long café sessions, etc. We stayed friends till the end and I will be visiting them for the holiday season. They gave me such a different view of the city and the french culture that I cherish every single day. Just open yourself up to anything, smartly, you never know what a chance occurrence could lead to.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

No cause for complaint.

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

The purpose of this program is full on immersion. You live with host families, all of your courses both Tufts taught and Parisian enrolled will be en français, you speak french all the time. I would speak english very sparingly with other parisians usually only when they were starved of practice as language instruction in the french system is rather poor. While it might be frustrating having a frenchie insist on speaking to you in English (especially through broken/misspelled texting) it can be quite charming and amusing at times.

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