An Interesting and Cool Experience September 11, 2023
By A student (History, Wellesley College) - abroad from 01/01/2023 to 05/28/2023 with
American University of Paris: Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I learned a lot about French culture, global culture, and about my personal life. I think it was a worthwhile experience and one that I was able to live and learn a lot from.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The academics were pretty good and quite extensive as to student and overall research interests. The |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My living arrangements were amazing and I absolutely loved how safe and accessible my neighborhood was. |
| * Food: |
The food was obviously amazing but were sometime hard to access fresh food given that it is a city location. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
They were pretty helpful for the important parts and I was able to pick up on some French lingo and cultural differences. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
The healthcare was definitely a bit inaccessible to me given the language barrier for medical terms and the fact that there was a culture difference in receiving health treatments. |
| * Safety: |
I did survive the retirement strikes and riding the metro in Paris so that says something on its own. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I would probably choose a program more closer to the south of France or basically anywhere that is not close to a huge city in France (like Paris). |
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) |
I felt that the student budget that I had even with my school's stipend was not enough for me to live on given that I was living in Paris which was a very wealthy city and the fact that buying necessities and fresh food was way difficult to access. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $70 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I would say prepare and save if you do decide to study abroad in a rich metropolitan city. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
I did use French for navigating Paris and social exchanges with locals. I did practice my French more around bilingual French speaking friends which created more of a friendly environment for me to be able to practice. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Intermediate French |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | I would say try to make French friends and practice with them. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
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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| 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? |
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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 more French and more French people before going into this program. |
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 Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
