Love and appreciate the moment! Past Review
By Renelle S (Utah Valley University) - abroad from 05/07/2012 to 06/03/2012 with
Utah Valley University: Traveling - French
I learned to value the differences of the french culture from the American culture. There is much to love and appreciate in France and her people. I also saw how spoiled we are in America, in the simplest ways. It was definitely worthwhile, and had been a lifetime dream, so that alone was worth it!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I loved the school. It was well organized. I appreciated that the assignments were not only book work and practice, but that the teacher required a lot of engagement with the language and current events. Not only did we have to talk about what we did the day before, we also had to read and comment on current events in the newspaper. Excellent - and hard! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Actilange does a wonderful job in teaching excellence and proficiency while incorporating interesting learning methods. I enjoyed it very much! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My hostess was excellent! I was grateful that she spoke English as well as French. She was kind and made me feel included. The best part of the day at the host home was our dinner conversation. |
| * Food: |
Food was ok. The meals were very simple, but mostly good. I was glad that there was not a lot of sweets. My only recommendation would be more fresh fruits and vegetables. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I felt like I wasn't very integrated, but that was because I was trying to finish UVU"s courses as well as Actilange's during the three weeks I was in Nice. Because of that, I felt restricted to the amount of time I could spend in exploring the city and culture, since there was so much homework to get done. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had no health issues. |
| * Safety: |
I felt like the safety of Nice was fine. It had a few sections of town that were a little sketchy, but most towns do. I felt like the advisors were good about letting us know how to keep ourselves safe. |
| 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) |
I didn't have a really hard time, but then, I didn't eat many meals out. I bought at the local grocery store, rather than a restaurant or cafe most of the time. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I was responsible for lunches for three weeks and dinner and lunches for about 8 days. I spent about a hundred dollars a week on food. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Think about how much you need to eat to feel full, and what are some things that you are most likely able to find in the country that are satiating and inexpensive. For instance, I bought oranges in a bulk bag and snacked on them all day, rather than buy ice cream, like many students. Budget and stick to it. |
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 |
I think while we were in NIce, attending the french school, more focus was spent on speaking the language. Once we left to do other sight seeing, that emphasis dropped. I think one thing that would have helped would have been that the teachers (UVU) only responded in french, and required you to speak in french to them no matter what (with only a few clarifying words in english). I think it is difficult to do ... require speaking only in the language because it is not enforceable - at least when students are on their own. |
| 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? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | French 202G |
| 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? | Constantly talk in the language, and ask those around you to remind you to try to say it in the foreign 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?
Select all that apply |
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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? | More conversational sentences that I would use over and over. |
