Past Review
By Michaela W (Political Science And French, Wellesley College) for
Wellesley College: Aix-en-Provence - Wellesley-in-Aix
Yes, I felt it was a really wonderful opportunity to live in a different culture and lifestyle for a year. It allowed me to carefully think about my future plans, away from the pressure-cooker that Wellesley can be at times.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Institut d'Etudes Politiques, Aix-Marseille III |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Studying abroad was a wonderful experience, but academically, it made me realize how lucky I am to go to Wellesley. The French system values rote repetition, rather than concepts and skills, which took a lot of getting used to. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program was ultimately very supportive and helpful when you pushed them to step in. However, in the case of the program, it bothered me that it really was the squeaky wheel that got the oil. I felt that my problems were often pushed to the side because I elected not to nag or whine to the program staff. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I had a studio apartment on rue Clovis Hugues <br /><br /> I liked having an apartment to myself, it gave me the opportunity to run my own schedule and be very independent. The street sometimes got a bit "weird" at nights, with drunken men wandering around and a few bars close by. |
| * Food: |
The markets are amazing, as is the baseline level of food quality at any of the supermarkets. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I liked some of the weekend trips, and absolutely loved the Paris pre-session. In addition, the meals Wellesley took us to were (for the most part) incredible. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
Aix is mostly safe. I very occasionally felt threatened walking alone at night, but overall within the Centre Ville it's completely fine. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
|
Finances
|
* 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) |
|
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I used up my Wellesley stipend of 500 euros a month. It was the perfect amount of money. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Save up money to travel! And if possible, to shop! I regret not buying more clothes and keepsakes in France and during my travels. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | French 211 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
|
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I would make an active effort to get a language partner as soon as you get to Aix. I was lucky enough to have some French friends in Paris, and I found that my French improved the most while I was there because I was forced to speak it. It's hard to get around speaking French in Aix, especially in public places. However, amongst the WIAers, very few people sustained speaking French with each other past the second week. |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | On one hand, I regret not going to Paris, a city that is more dynamic and interesting than Aix. However, I would take into consideration the stipend that WIA gives the students, as well as the benefit of being in a program structure. Whenever students had issues with their housing or a professor, Wellesley handled it. I am glad I spent the majority of my time abroad enjoying it rather than sitting on the phone with the various bureaucracies in France dealing with my visa or getting internet set up. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
The historical foundations of classical Judaism |
| Course Department: | HISL15 |
| Instructor: | Chouraqui |
| Instruction Language: | French |
| Comments: | The lectures for this course were great. They were easy to follow and very interesting. However, the question asked in the exam was completely out of the blue and not related to major themes of the course, which left a bad taste in my mouth. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Spoken and Written Language Workshop |
| Course Department: | WIA |
| Instructor: | Faracco |
| Instruction Language: | French |
| Comments: | I found this course to be a disappointment. This could be a great opportunity to really get students' French up to speed, but due to the instruction and the lack of structure, it served no purpose at all. There was participation, but it wasn't as encouraged as participation at Wellesley. However, on a positive note, this was my only class that forced me to write in French regularly during first semester. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Medias and Societies |
| Course Department: | IEP |
| Instructor: | Don't remember |
| Instruction Language: | French |
| Comments: | The content of this course was interesting, if a bit basic. However, the professor had a bad habit of going on verbal tangents or planning to "show us something on the computer" and ending up jumping from site to site, in a form of a tangent. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Translation |
| Course Department: | WIA |
| Instructor: | Ouzoux |
| Instruction Language: | French |
| Comments: | I really enjoyed this course. I felt it helped my French a lot by giving a good refresher on grammar concepts. In addition, the passages we had to translate for homework were very interesting. The professor was enthusiastic and very good at what she does. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Art History |
| Course Department: | WIA |
| Instructor: | Don't remember |
| Instruction Language: | French |
| Comments: | There was no participation at all in this course, to its detriment. The lights would go out and the slides would go up, and the professor would drone on, which encouraged most people to either nap, or surf the web. If there was more of a participatory approach, students would stay more engaged and interested. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
| Course Name/Rating: |
French Public Institutions |
| Course Department: | IEP |
| Instructor: | Langeron |
| Instruction Language: | French |
| Comments: | This was by far my best class. In fact, I think Wellesley should make it a cours de base. It gave me a great overview of the French governmental structure and its history, and was well organized and well taught. The professor was engaging and clear, spoke slow enough to follow and welcomed participation. I HIGHLY recommend this class. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Ethics and politics |
| Course Department: | IEP |
| Instructor: | Terestchenko |
| Instruction Language: | French |
| Comments: | The content of this course was really interesting. However, it was a bit disorganized and didn't have a real syllabus. In addition, even after being in France for 6 months already when the course started, I found it hard to follow. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
| Course Name/Rating: |
France’s Position in the World |
| Course Department: | IEP |
| Instructor: | Commor |
| Instruction Language: | French |
| Comments: | I found the studying I did for the final to be more interesting than the class itself. This is partially because the lectures weren't organized, and partially because the professor was so difficult to understand. Although I did learn some valuable things, I wouldn't recommend this course. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
