AUP Exchange, Spring 2023 August 04, 2023
By Liora J (Liberal Arts, General Studies, Wellesley College) - abroad from 01/16/2023 to 05/15/2023 with
American University of Paris: Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I learned a lot about myself and how I navigate unfamilar situations and new cultures. I feel like I gained a sense of independence.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Overall, the classes were easier compared to my home institution, but the workload could be more or less depending on the department and the nature of the work. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
AUP staff were pretty responsive and helpful with anything you needed |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Housing was very nice. There were some maintenance issues when we moved in, but it didn't ruin the experience for me |
| * Food: |
I cooked my own food, so I had a lot of autonomy with what I ate |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
There's not a strong student culture at AUP. Because most students are visiting or on an exchange, it was hard to get a sense of what defined the school culture |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Didn't need to use it while abroad, but it seemed decent from what I've seen. However, the more fluency you have in French, the easier it will probably be to find healthcare that works for your need. There are English speaking doctors in Paris, but it's still limited |
| * Safety: |
Even with the protests, I didn't experience any encounters where my safety felt threatened |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I don't necessarily regret my experience, but I think I would've chosen a different city |
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? | 65 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Meal planning really helped. Finding out what your go-to meals can be may take some trial and error, but once you figure it out, you can end up saving a lot of money and time. Boulangeries also have really cheap breads and pastries compared to supermarkets |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| 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? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I knew that it's okay to feel down at times while abroad. Being in a new country can be depressing, and there will inevitably be ups and downs. Embrace it and keep moving forward. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
