Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Intensive French semester in Provence February 06, 2026

By (French Language, Literature, Wellesley College) - abroad from 09/01/2025 to 12/24/2025 with

Wellesley College: Aix-en-Provence - Wellesley-in-Aix

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Though at times frustrating and challenging, I believe it was truly a formative experience and I learned a lot about myself, about the French language and culture, and I gained a new perspective on American language and culture as well.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I took three in-house WIA courses and two at sciences Po Aix. I felt I learned more from the more interactive hands-on nature of the WIA courses, while the "cours magistraux" from sciences po (just lectures with your grade for the semester resting on a single written exam) i found to be less effective and more stressful!

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

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)

Aix is super expensive, but a monthly stipend is given for food by the program which helps offset or cover the cost.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? ~ $ 150-200, but received about 150/week from the stipend

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

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

We had to use it for all of our classes and host families, and were strongly encouraged to speak in french to each other.

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Intermediate
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Advanced
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? French 215
How many hours per day did you use the language?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
  • Hotel
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • International Students
  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
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?
  • The program directors, Stéphanie and Celia, are very engaged and supportive
  • I had the opportunity to find and join community clubs and organizations with locals
  • The excursions to neighboring towns were very cool
* What could be improved?
  • Perhaps better host family matching: My first host family was very busy and didn't have time to eat meals with me, et. as I had hoped--however the program directors later helped me switch to another family
  • More support finding neighborhood organizations: they were the highlights of my stay but took weeks of independent research to find!
  • Better integration with the international student group at sciences po: we missed some important information as well as lacked the social support that other international students had
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Language immersion programs are exhausting and it can be demoralizing not being able to communicate or understand (even if you have a pretty high level of language)---it's hard to make friends, to be funny, for people to trust or listen to you.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.
The Nearly Native or Trail Blazer
Craving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.'