Experiencing European City Life (at an American university)! May 13, 2023

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The classes at AUP are a mixed bag. Going in, I was not expecting the workload to be overly challenging, so that was not a disappointment for me. Some of the classes were great quality-wise and others were not so great. AUP has decent resources. I only used the ARC to process exam accommodations and that was fairly simple to do and not stressful at all. However, I can't speak on the rest of their resources. The academic rigor is definitely less than I was used to, but not in a bad way at all.

On-site administration of your program

There wasn't much on-site administration of our program since we were generally a cohort program run by Wellesley College.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The apartment that I stayed in as a part of AUP student housing was beautiful. I had a double bedroom to myself and my flatmate had a single room. We shared a full kitchen, a bathroom, and a washer (no dryer just a drying rack which worked fine). However, there were a series of problems with the apartment throughout the semester and housing was not always the greatest or most polite to deal with. We had a dishwasher but it was not working from the beginning so we never had a chance to use it. The toilet had flushing issues which had to be fixed multiple times and we were not given an alternate toilet to use while this was happening. There was a water leak from the ceiling in the kitchen. And there were no instruction manuals given with the new appliances so we had to figure it out by trial and error.

We had to do our own grocery shopping and cooking and received a stipend from our college to do so. There is a small café on campus, but I only went there once and ended up making my own sandwiches for lunch. Groceries were not too expensive. However, do expect to do a decent amount of shopping (a few times a week) and expect to go to multiple places. As someone who is not a huge fan of cooking, I didn't really struggle here with finding things that were easy and quick (and healthy too!) to cook and eat.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

If you stay on campus at AUP, it can certainly feel a bit like a bubble. I felt that I was decently integrated with the local culture, since I visited my local park quite regularly, as well as the boulangerie. And I went on a lot of personal excursions. I also made a few local friends on Bumble BFF. And I had a mentor through Wellesley who took us out and showed us the area. If you want to connect with the local culture, there really is not an easy way to do so through AUP. The best thing you can do is leave the campus and become a flâneur.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I did not have any health issues so I do not have any experience with healthcare.

I felt very safe for the most part. However, I did not go out at night often. I would say to be aware of your surroundings and have common sense, and you'll be fine. Never wear headphones in places that are busy or that you are unfamiliar with. Try to have directions on your phone pulled out before you leave the metro so that you have an idea where you are going. Research certain areas if you are a person of color. Avoid areas where protest might be happening.

I loved learning about and living in Paris and I think despite some of the faults of the program, it was worth it.

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

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• Apartment

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• Americans

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• Art History Classes and Museums!
• French food!
• Paris

• Housing issues (with AUP student Housing)
• Social atmosphere

The Nearly Native or Trail Blazer