Tell me more:
Living in France is like living in a mirror America
AIFS: Paris - Cours de Civilisation Française de la Sorbonne
Program Information
Take in all that Paris has to offer while perfecting your French in “La Ville Lumière” (the City of Light). Through the years, the city has drawn intellectuals, free-thinkers, artists and revolutionaries. Paris is one of the world’s major global cities with a strong influence in politics, education, entertainm... More
| Provider: | AIFS |
| Location(s): | Paris, France |
| Year Founded: | 1950 |
| Website | Take me there! |
Review By:
Michael G. (French, Illinois State University) on June 09, 2011
Overall Rating
Personal Information
| * Start Date: | 2011-01-17 |
| * End Date: | 2011-05-28 |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Very good culturally, organizationally it was a little bit messy |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Being in Paris is liike being in the 17th century |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
very safe, only not smart to ever go out on your own at night or walk home. |
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* Home Institution Advising:
How well did Illinois State University prepare and support you for your time abroad? |
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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? | 100 dollars a week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | anything material should be brought from the US |
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? | 300 level senior college French classes. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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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
| * If you could do it all over again, would you choose the same program? | Yes |
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Think well about choosing roomates in advance |
| * What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile? | absolutely, I live in France full time now so it gave me the confidence and skills I needed to fully immerse. |