Ugh I should have gone to Barcelona Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The academic rigor of this program was surprisingly nonexistent. Most of what I learned came from educating myself because despite the alleged caliber of the Vanderbilt program, the professors were entirely unqualified. Perhaps this is due to cultural differences in our educational systems but wow I learned nothing from them. Even the class taught by the director of the program both failed to stimulate my intellectual interests and to teach me even the smallest bit of the french language.

On-site administration of your program

I can't even begin to describe how poor the on-site administration was for this program. Vanderbilt could easily (and should) find replacements for the administrative positions of this program. By the end of my semester I was fairly certain that the directors got paid to do absolutely nothing other than socialize with one another. If the program is to improve or if it wants to continue hosting students, this is the first dimension in which the program must be improved.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Our apartment was in a nice area of Aix but I still felt slighted given the housing inequalities that existed throughout the program. Other students had vastly larger apartments than we did, and there were constantly either appliances not working or lights no longer functioning. While these fixes are theoretically quick and easy, the director in charge of making these fixes often let them go on for weeks at a time before getting around to doing something about them. Finally, the massive room on the first floor of the center was scarcely used because it was always locked. Not only would this have been a tremendous place for students to study, but it was also a fully functional (yet unoccupied to my dismay) apartment for the semester. Who knows why students could not have lived here? Finally, the room checks performed by the directors were arbitrary and inane. As an apartment for college students, how can they expect things not to get a little messy. The fact that they treated us like little kids in this aspect of our personal lives was silly and also somewhat demeaning after the arguments that came about as a result.

The food was the absolute best part of my experience abroad. Not only were the meals with my host family the highlight of every day, but the food around Aix and the food I ate while traveling is reason enough alone to return to Europe some day.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

LOL what social and cultural integration? Living with tutors or roommates that are standoffish and snarky does not count (except for Celine). Students ultimately hung out with one another for the most part because we were unaware of opportunities to meet other French students despite our own attempts at bars.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

The directors of the program did virtually nothing to assist me when I got sick. I was unaware of any healthcare coverage had it not been for other students that knew something about it. When it came to visiting a doctor, the only information I received from the doctors was "go to the doctor down the street". Maybe they thought that as an adult I should be able to figure it out, but this thinking was entirely inconsistent with how they treated us (as children) in other aspects of the program. Furthermore, the time to prove that you're an adult and can do things on your own isn't exactly ideal when you're not feeling your best.

The overall safety of the host city was tremendous due to the fact that Aix is by no means a dangerous place to live. I was never concerned when I came home later at night whether it be from bars or from the apartments of friends.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

I spent most of my money on traveling while abroad. We didn't really like to spend out weekends in Aix.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

Yelling at us from the other room to speak in French was not exactly the best way to encourage us to use the language in my opinion. Other than this method, the directors did very little to inspire us to want to constantly speak French.

Select all that apply

• Apartment

Select all that apply

• Local Students
• Americans

Select all that apply

• Americans

• The friends I made in the program
• Traveling every weekend
• Le Mistral (the club not the wind)

• The directors
• The teachers and the tutors