Many Midnights in Paris Past Review
By A student (International/Global Studies., Presbyterian College) - abroad from 01/14/2012 to 07/14/2012 with
University Paris-Dauphine: Paris - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
When I left I was 5'9", and now I am 5'10". Studying abroad will make you grow big and strong. Along with the new stature, I can honestly say that I gained an enormous amount of self-confidence and faith in my abilities to function on my own. This challenge also dispelled a lot of old personal insecurities, which just seemed to vanish in the scope of the world and all it has to offer. DO IT!
Review Photos
Personal Information
| 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. |
Dauphine is one of the top schools in France. They take things quite seriously there, but seemed to lower expectations for the international students in the end. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Adviser for the Americas (Coralie De Stefano) was very nice, warm, and helpful. Consultant for PC (Sophie Meritet) was also extremely nice and welcoming, but quite hard to get in touch with sometimes. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Extremely hard to find housing in Paris, Dauphine and CROUS should really notify students earlier if they have not been selected for CROUS housing |
| * Food: |
It's Paris. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Local French culture was harder to get involved in because full-time French students at Dauphine could be quite separated from the internationals in most cases. This was also due in part to the language barrier. However, I did have an absolutely amazing experience meeting people from every corner of the globe in such and international city. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
France is ranked number one in the world for healthcare. I got sick on multiple occasions during my time abroad (though not direly), and the resources available to me were incredible. I lived right down the street from a pharmacy (it's hard not to, they're everywhere) and the program called SOS Medicins provides free house calls to people who are too sick to leave their homes. Great system; we could learn a lot from it. |
| * Safety: |
As in any big city, a student's number one best defense is to always be aware of your surroundings. Explore but don't wander, delve but don't get lost. Particularly explore the area around your own residence well, and try to get bearings in relation to big landmarks and popular streets. Safety in Paris was actually not as much of an issue as I believed it would be when I first arrived. Yes, I was approached by men on multiple occasions, but I always made a point to never be on a narrow, empty street by myself, and they never gave me any real trouble. Pickpockets can be tricky, but are easily spotted if you always remain aware of your personal space. If you sense someone standing unnaturally close to you, turn around and face him directly. And of course use bags that close well. I only encountered pickpockets twice, and never had anything stolen. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
Make sure to budget for public transportation. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | No |
| * 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? | probably around 70 euros per week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If you can, cook with other students! And drink BEFORE you go out ;) |
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 |
Took some French classes, but was surrounded by students whose common language was English. |
| 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? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | French 301 |
| 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? | People who hear your accent will likely automatically switch to English if they know how to speak it, DON'T SWITCH INTO ENGLISH TOO! Persist on speaking in French, even if it means that you're speaking French to them and they are speaking English. |
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? |
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 wish I knew that "excité" in French does not mean what English speakers think it means. |
