Super fun, but needs more locals! Past Review
By Jillian A Surdzial (University of California - Riverside) - abroad from 08/15/2018 to 12/15/2018 with
University of California, Los Angeles: Paris - French Language and Culture
I had never been abroad before this, had never travelled alone, and had never lived in a city. I now feel at least moderately comfortable with all of those things. Yes, it was worthwhile!
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The program had quite a bit of homework compared to what friends from other programs have told me about their experiences. The real issue was lack of study spaces. At home, I am able to go to the library 24/7. In France, there was no Library, and the campus bulding closed at 5. Most public spaces closed at 9 PM. The latest thing open was McDonalds (11 PM). The apartments were small, and my roommates liked to party, so it was hard to study at home. It would be great if more study spaces were available. For the mean time, get comfortable with studying in your bed. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
All of the admin team were very nice and approachable. They planned very fun outings, with the exception of the Halloween ghost tour of Montmartre (the reason why this review is not 5 stars). They were very capable and were able to schedule me a doctors appointment when I got sick. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The apartments themselves were beautiful. My roommates were not well matched to my interests or personality type. All three were very loud and would throw parties in our living room, causing us to get several noise complaints. I knew several other people who were in my situation in other buildings. There needs to be a better roommate questionnaire. |
| * Food: |
French food is incredibly delicious. If you are lactose intolerant like me, go to Costco and buy a giant pack of dairy pills. Then, eat cheese to your heart's content. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I wish we had had a local student who was assigned to meet with us to show us around. Because all of the students in our classes were from the UCs or USC, I felt that I never truly got to know French culture from a local's perspective. Still, very fun. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Audrey at the front desk very efficiently made me a doctor's appointment when I got sick. The doctor saw me much sooner than the one I see at home--the next day I think. However, it was very different from going to an appointment in the USA. The doctor was on the 3rd floor of an apartment building. I could not figure out how to get buzzed in, so I had to wait outside until someone came out. The doctor was somewhat irritated that I could not speak French with him (my french was very basic at the time and I had no medical vocabulary), but he did give me the antibiotics prescription I needed, which I then was able to fill at any pharmacy in town. |
| * Safety: |
Girls, make friends with one of the guys on your program who you feel safe being around. Night time adventures are much less anxiety-inducing when you have a guy with you. The one time things went very south (creepy man would not leave me alone at a bar) my guy friend got him away from me with the excuse of wanting the man to come smoke with him. If you're not comfortable with the guys in your program, try to be in a group when you're out at night and trust your instincts. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I enjoyed my time, but I would want a program that gives more opportunities to meet local students. |
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) |
France is expensive. Making your own food helps, but food spoils fast. Be sure to make multiple grocery trips per week. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | French 001 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | A better knowledge of French helps, but you don't need it! You won't meet many locals (I didn't meet anyone but the program administrators). So many students are from UCSB, so there's a lot of partying. Disneyland Paris is accessible by train! You'll never be able to see everything in Paris, but you'll enjoy what you do see. Don't stress out if you get sick--talk to the program admins. You will miss American junk food so much. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Histories of Paris |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Christina von Koehler |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This course was incredible. Christina made a considerable effort to make sure we went out into the city every week to experience the locations we discussed in tuesday's history lecture. She was available to chat or discuss course related questions after class each week. The midterm and final were fairly assigned and graded (2 long essay questions, with the questions generously given to us the week beforehand to outline). Honestly, this class was not only my favorite study abroad class, but my favorite college class. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | The transfer process took a long time. If your credits don't show up, talk to your study abroad advisor at your local campus. They then may direct you to the registrar or to your major advisor. I spent too long waiting without asking anyone why it was taking too long. If I had asked sooner, I think the grade issue would have been cleared up faster. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
French 13 |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Pierre |
| Instruction Language: | French |
| Comments: | The course was challenging but rewarding. It was difficult to get my brain working in French at 9 AM sometimes, but the class definitely made me feel more confident in my French abilities. The class times are rather long at times, so make sure to eat beforehand. The excursions were very fun-- my favorite was when we made pate a choux dough into cream puffs at a local bakery. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | This class gave me the most trouble in terms of credit transfer. We had no way of checking if we had all of our assignments turned in (and at times it was difficult to tell which assignments needed to be turned in). When I got my grade back, it was lower than I expected, so I contacted my French professor and the on-site director. They allowed me to send PDFs of the ungraded assignments, and agreed to change my grade. I had to also talk with my study abroad advisor, the school registrar, and my major advisor, but in the end the grade was processed. If you get into a situation like this, keep emailing! |
