My Year in Provence: Discovering a New Pace of Life Past Review
By Leah H (Anthropology., Wellesley College) for
Wellesley College: Aix-en-Provence - Wellesley-in-Aix
It was wonderful. I became fluent in my foreign language, I saw interesting things and met interesting things and fully ENJOYED life.
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. |
The teaching was mostly lecture format which gave us a lot of information and was good for learning a lot of French. However it would have been nice to have more class discussions. The professors I had were almost always open and receptive to questions before or after class, and the two classes I took that were sponsored by Wellesley had extra instruction/small group time with the professors which was interesting and helpful. The grades were based almost entirely on a midterm (either one quiz or project, or several small exercises) and a lengthy final (which was mostly regurgitation of facts from lectures in the form of an essay) or a final project and in some cases both. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
For the most part the leader/onsite administration was very helpful and responsive to questions and needs. Sometimes things were a little disorganised, but I am not sure how much of that was the program and how much of it was difficulty arrising from disorganisation in the host country. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived with americans, which I enjoyed but probably did not help my language acquisition as much as it could of. However, because I lived in an apartment I felt more comfortable going out whenever I pleased (which meant I met more French people my age that way) and I was able to invite my friends over. Also, having my own kitchen meant that I could experiment with local produce and recipes which were a very important part of my cultural abroad experience. |
| * Food: |
The program gave us 500 euros a month for food and cleaning products. This was sufficient and allowed us to cook most of our meals and take some in restaurants. I feel I ate very well this past year. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Lots of great bonus trips and excursions and classes. Lots of support. A very beautiful and interesting part of the world. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The French health system is very different from our own so it was difficult to navigate, especially when I got swine flu. On the weekend (french doctors and pharmacies are not open on sundays). |
| 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? | The program gave us 500euros a month for food. I found if covered my food (with trips to restaurants and bars too) and some of my minor travel. I only dipped into my own savings when I did serious travel and a bit at Christmas when my roommate and I went crazy with food. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Plan money for travel, especially if you go during the spring when there are two extensive breaks. |
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? | 211 - an in intensive grammar course |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I joined a theatre troupe and made french/french speaking erasmus students. With that and all the time in lecture classes really helped me improve my language. The program really encouraged us to speak French as much as possible and offered trips to museums, cultural sites, theatre, cooking classes, and french stylistics support classes to give us tons of exposure to French. |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | This program is for someone who wants to live in a beautiful part of the world, eat really good food, spend time outdoors, visit museums, historical sites, go to plays and concerts, and travel within Provence, France, and in Europe/North Africa. This is for someone who wants to take classes at a French University with French and Erasmus students, with all the joys and challenges that might present. This is a really good program to rediscover how to relax and enjoy life but also have an enriching and at times challenging academic experience. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Compared Decolonisations |
| Course Department: | HIS L16 |
| Instructor: | Catherine Atlan |
| Instruction Language: | French |
| Comments: | This was an amazing class. The professor was an engaging lecturer and mixed class up with discussions and exercises and took us on relevant field trips. I highly recommend! |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. |
