Study Abroad in France: Something for Everyone Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The professors were overqualified and brought the dishes to the table, but they were also pretty easygoing and aware that much of the learning is out of the classroom. You could learn quite a lot if you wanted to and make it just by if you were so inclined. Shout out to the profs Margaux, Fabre, Jamai, Pam (Morton). And the man who missed me, Charles Potter

On-site administration of your program

Real helpful and personable, even with stuff not having to do with the program such as travel, interviews + other stuff from back in the US. Program's small and cozy, so you get to know the staff well.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Host families are a great way to integrate into French culture and learn the language. But sometimes there can be a difference in personalities that prohibits any type of cultural exchange or learning to occur. Overall, it's a coin flip depending on what kind of family you get. Aix is a small town and its hard to get the absolute best host families, so don't blame the administration.

Pretty legit. French baguettes and cheese + all of the fresh foodstuffs from the market are what you dream of. French dining etiquette and the order in which they serve food is also very interesting coming from the US. You get 6 dinners and 7 breakfasts, which is a shame because lunch is the big meal in France and you might be hungry if you're on a budget. Definitely have to economize here. The host served good and healthy food but an American can sometimes find his or herself hungry with French portion sizes. I didn't try out the Aix food scene because the prices were prohibitive but if you ever head to one of those "schwarma" places. I'm going to recommend you grab Algerian sauce and put it on whatever you get. Pro tip for the financially challenged: There's a little boulangerie on your left side when you're walking up past the cathedral from IAU that has 2.50 euro tuna sandwich foot-longs.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I made some half hearted attempts to integrate by playing sports with French people but found out I hung out with my American classmates a lot. I would suggest maybe taking classes at Aix-Marseille if the French level is up to par and going to "La Cave" dinners every Tuesday in the basement of the Cathedral organized by Aix international students.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Can't comment on this but I think other students found it satisfactory.

They warned us a lot about safety throughout the semester, particularly for girls, but I found it was pretty safe. Centre-ville is really well lit and so is the first 50m outside of it. There's a late-night bus you can pay like 20 euros a semester for that some students took.

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

I'm probably on the higher end. But beware it is super expensive in this town in any case, probably equal to or just below Paris.

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

Classes were in English.

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• Host Family

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• Americans
• Host Family

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• Americans

• Two breaks to travel, program-organized excursions around southern France (Hollaback George!)
• Very supportive and overqualified faculty + administration. Learned a lot even when I didn't want to.
• My peers were great.

• Host family selection process
• Orientation was virtually nonexistent. The Early Start Program could easily fill this role were it mandatory for all students.
• A club and activities fair earlier in the semester to get students involved in Aix life.