This is Living... Past Review

By (International Business, Seton Hall University) - abroad from 01/02/2015 to 05/02/2015 with

AIFS: Grenoble - Grenoble School of Management

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
There were many different lessons learned from being abroad. I learned about different cultures which I experienced when I was living in France and traveling around Europe. I exercised my independence and responsibility by planning my trips and traveling alone as well. I think it's important to realize you cannot always wait on people to do the things you want to do . Because sometimes... you can wait and wait and the day will never come if you depend on people so much. I think its a strong learning experience when you realize you have the ability to do anything.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Grenoble School of Management was intense but fully worthwhile. It is an international school with many different types of people. Our schedule varied in times and days so there was no "set" schedule. For example, I had one class for 5 days many hours a day and then that was the end of the course. Our professors were from all over Europe and one American. This allowed us o experience different teaching styles. Our course work was allocated mostly into two or three major assignments. The average of those few grades made up your final grade in the class. We wrote papers, had group projects, and some of our courses started later on in the semester. I think the way the grading was set up was difficult. The courses were rigorous an the average was around a 12 or 14 out of 20 for most classes.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

On-site administration for my program was amazing. Friendly and committed to the students. I always felt supported and never felt stranded of resources whom I could call. I know the AIFS office was a popular hang out site just because of how wonderful our Program Admin was.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived with a host family (my host mom and I). Her daughter who is about 5 years older than me lived right down the street. My host mom and I spent every night eating dinner together and we spent holidays with her daughter and her niece. It was the perfect situation. My host mom spoke few words of English, and I had the same amount of knowledge in French when I had first arrived but this was a perfect situation for me because that's how I wanted to learn French. My host sister spoke English also, so at our family dinners there was plenty of ways to communicate and many hand motions and gestures used too.

* Food:

My host mom made home- cooked meals every night. Every meal was a beautiful, healthy, and delicate art. Which is much of the French culture in general. My breakfast and dinners were included but my host mom would offer me lunch all the time.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

It was an adjustment I was open and ready for. By the end of it I felt like a local!

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Thankfully the worse I had was a cold which I took normal medicine from the pharmacy and got better.

* Safety:

Unfortunately, Grenoble is not the safest city in France. I would suggest to avoid walking home alone late at night and being aware of you surroundings. If you are with a group stick with them. As for any city, it is just important to be cautious and aware.

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)

I personally chose to spend less money on food and I rarely purchased so I could save up to travel. This, however is not a common approach. I know many of my friends enjoyed buying souvenirs and shopping rather than traveling. It all depends on what the student wants to allocate their money towards.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $250
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Save money on shopping for things you can buy at home... spend your money on experiences and things you can't do at home! The memories are priceless

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
  • Host Family
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • I liked how my school was internaitonal. I got to meet people form around the world.
  • I lived with a host family. My host mom and I became close and I learned French easier by living with it.
  • The excursions I went on were incredible.
* What could be improved?
  • I would offer more weekend excursions.
  • Offer some type of reverse culture shock program.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I did not expect to have a difficult time coming home to my own culture. Since I had traveled before my semester abroad I did not think the cultural aspect of coming back home would be difficult. It was in fact more challenging than going. Knowing this would have given me a warning to be prepared.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

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The Avid Adventurer
The wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal.