Quiet life of Pau, France Past Review
By carl b (International Affairs And Commerce, University of the Pacific) for
USAC France: Pau - French Language and European Studies
Yes, learned a lot about the language, culture. All of Europe is easy to travel to.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
workload was easily manageable, grades were fair |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
USAC office had reasonable hours to ask questions, updates were provided through email. Some students who failed to respond to emails were personally called via telephone to confirm that they received the information. Staff had thorough knowledge of the area, plenty of informational books/maps available at office. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in a dorm room by myself. The room was clean, everything worked. |
| * Food: |
I cook excellent food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Bars were available, students in program were fun to be around. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Information on available medical facilities provided during orientation, what to do in order to obtain medical treatment after hours, staff made personal cell phones available to contact in case of an emergency. |
| 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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 60 euro (This includes alcohol) |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If you like alcohol, stick to wine, it is cheap, everything is expensive, so spend carefully. I eat a lot, so I spent a lot on food. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | n/a |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
availability of conversation partners, had to use French to buy food. Only the USAC staff spoke English, but encouraged French |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | If you're looking to party like crazy, choose another program - night life is available, but not as crazy as it would be in bigger cities. Students who like to be studious, and really practice their French (Not many people speak English here, unlike Paris). |
