Decent Program, Great Experience! Past Review
By A student (Civil Engineering., The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 06/01/2012 to 07/06/2012 with
University of Texas at Austin: Engineering Standards and Industrial Policy in a Global Environment
I had an amazing experience abroad, and despite some of the problems that I had with the organization and location of the program, I had a great time. It was definitely a learning experience because I was one of the only students that spoke French so I got a LOT of practice asking the locals questions. If I had to do it again, I would probably go for longer (if I could afford it) and consider staying with a host family as opposed to playing it safe and going with UT students. I had a great time, but I definitely think that I would have learned a lot more about the culture and language if I had been more adventurous.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Toulouse (INSA) |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
Food is not included in the cost of attending the program. I purchased my own food from a grocery store and did not use the cafeteria. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The school is located quite far from town, so during the week, it was difficult to get out into the town when we had 2-3 hours of homework each night. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I |
| * Safety: |
The INSA campus was not the safest. While we were there, there was a man on campus who was exposing himself to females and, on occasion, forcing women to perform sexual acts. He was caught, however making the long walk to the metro and class and not seeing any security was sometimes frightening. |
| 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) |
The city is only accessible by metro, so each student is required to buy a metro pass (which does not last the entire trip). Independent travel is extremely expensive. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $400 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Save money beforehand!! I would recommend applying for scholarships, however I applied to a dozen and didn't get any because I didn't qualify for having "need" despite paying for the entire program myself. I also bought a train pass which allowed me to get discounted train tickets. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| 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? | AP French in high school |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | If you already know some French, like I did, review it beforehand! I found that I could get around and ask questions fairly easily, however I definitely forgot words/phrases that I should have known. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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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? | I was told not to bring shorts and warm clothing -- it was HOT in France, and our dorm had no air conditioning. French people really dress quite similarly to Americans. The program is a little far from the city, but if you plan homework times at night with your group, you can explore the city after class. I wish I had known also that the homework is quite tedious, about 2-3 hours each night, which is a lot when you only have 5 weeks to get to know a whole city and you're busy at night. |
