Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I found the classes for international students to be very easy, though the classes with other French students at the university afforded me the opportunity to truly challenge myself on multiple levels. There truly is not much homework (hardly any!) though the program requires much more independent study.

On-site administration of your program

I was basically on my own while in Tours. The administrator in France was helpful when I needed him, though I didn't seek him out much. There were some organized trips for study abroad students though I chose to find actual French friends in the city in order to improve my French and to learn more about the culture.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

One of the options for housing listed on the university's website was a hostel nearby the university. It was incredibly cheap, I got my own bedroom (with a lock), shared a bathroom with the other girls on the floor, and shared a kitchen with all the other students. As far as who LIVED in the hostel, there was a mixture of all sorts of people. Everyone from French students to international students to a couple of Americans lived there, though we all spoke French with each other as it was the common language. A few French students I met went out of their way to converse with me in order to help my French. That part of the housing was great, even if the quality wasn't the best. Had I been in Tours for a full year I might have lived in the university dormitories instead, as more French and international students lived there. As it was, my hostel had the best location possible, which, in the end, made all the difference! I lived VERY close to one campus location in the city (one minute walk, if even), a 20 minute walk from the other campus I had classes at...very close to shopping, groceries, bars, clubs, and right on the Loire River. Talk about location!!! Even though the dormitories were nicer, I loved being at the hostel as I didn't have to worry about taking a bus back to the dormitory (or a taxi!) once it got too late...and after a certain time, as busses stop running, other students HAD to stay out, even if they wanted to go home to sleep. I, on the other hand, could easily walk back to where I lived and get some shut eye before class the next morning. Awesome. Oh, and the train station was a 15-20 minute walk away as well, so it was no problem as long as we weren't running late.

I found the BEST gyros in Europe in Tours!!! I lived in Belgium during high school and did extensive travelling, so I'd say my recommendation to this place (N'bab) is a pretty solid one! It's right off of Place Plum (a great place to have a drink!) and across from La Cabane, a bar we frequented as the atmosphere was great and the owner was amazing. He gets to know his customers and is incredibly friendly! I made sure to take my parents to La Cabane when they came to visit, just so they could meet Sylvain! There are a lot of cute cafes that aren't too expensive, though some of the restaurants I went to were a bit pricier for someone on a tight budget. There were several grocery stores nearby however (Monoprix off of Rue Nationale and Simply Market across the street from H&M) where you can get some incredibly cheap groceries and some great wine (for a very low price - and isn't wine necessary while living in France? It's part of life there!)!!! I would high recommend Muscador Rosé (year 2009) as a great dessert wine! It was definitely my favorite while in France.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The bars and clubs are very close to where I lived, and several festivals and parades occured while I lived there. I experienced train strikes, bus strikes, classes being cancelled for no reason, profs not showing up...I made friends with local bar and restaurant owners, could be walking down the street and stop to say hello to several people as I'd made so many friends...I travelled extensively all through the Loire Valley and in the Cote d'Azure (I can only say one thing about this area of France...GO GO GO! It's amazing!), was in Nice during the Carnival celebrations (awesome!), and made friends with real French people which afforded me the opportunity to actually be immersed with the French, not only in the everyday culture of the stores and bars and classes, but also on weekends and at parties (which is where most of the language learning goes on - trust me!). I'm not a partier, but I am SO thankful I went to so many parties and out to so many bars with people over the semester as that's where I truly had the opportunity to learn more slang, learned how to understand people with lots of other things going on around me, and was able to share opinions and debate with other students on what is the "right" way to run a government, social security, healthcare, and even which rugby and football teams are the best. Tours is amazing as far as social and cultural experiences go so long as you make an effort to meet people! The people in the city are so nice and friendly - not what I was expecting at all, but completely welcome!

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I was never sick or hurt myself, but several other students in France had to be taken to the hospital (or go there!) themselves during the semester. One student was having an asthma attack and got himself to the hospital. He was out by the next morning and back and in fine health. The insurance took care of everything. Another student was walking alone at Fac de Grommont (where some student dorms are) and was mugged and robbed. He was reimbursed for all the money in his wallet (around 300 euro) and taken care of at the hospital, everything covered under his insurance). Another girl, an American, fell and lost her front teeth when she tripped on cobblestone on St. Patrick's Day. the EMTs arrived, took her to the hopsital. I saw her around the city while grocery shopping the next week and you never would have been able to tell that she'd lost them! She said she felt great and had no problem with insurance. As far as safety goes for the city, there ARE a lot of homeless people, especially at night. I only felt in danger at one point (and I was alone at night going home as nobody else was going my way). Every other time I always made sure to be with at least one other person. Rue Colbert is pretty sketchy at night because of the homeless people and their dogs (they all have them - and some of the dogs are big!) but one night while walking home with another girl, a French man came over and walked us home because he wanted to make sure we would be okay. Like I said - I only felt unsafe that one evening when I was by myself. Other than that I'd say the city is pretty safe! It's a students city really, and so a lot of people in their 20's and 30's. It's a really great environment as long as you're not dumb (don't be by yourself!), and stay alert. Definitely much safer than any American city!

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

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