A good life experience but not super rigorous. September 24, 2026
By A student (Wellesley College) - abroad from 01/06/2026 to 05/15/2026 with
American University of Paris: Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I feel a lot more confident in myself after living abroad. I learned how to enjoy time with myself, and I am more comfortable exploring new things.
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. |
Classes were quite easy compared to my home university. They were not bad, but they were not the difficulty I was used to. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I had no issues with this, and everything was easy to figure out. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
School-sponsored housing was extremely expensive, and little guidance was given for finding housing separately. I ended up living in school housing and it was well maintained. |
| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
As it was an English-speaking university, it was hard to integrate fully in that sense. However, I spoke enough French on my own that I felt more integrated than my peers. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
It was super easy to deal with the healthcare. I was on my program's healthcare, and it allowed me to get free therapy sessions. |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I would choose a program that was in French or at a more rigorous university. I wish my French had improved more than it did, and I felt like I had too much free time. |
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 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
I was not trying to live super frugally - if I wanted to, I could have spent a little less. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | About 150$ |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Cook at home and save money for experiences rather than shopping/pre-cooked food. |
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? | 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 had known more about the type of student who tends to study here. Many of the people I met came with their entire fraternity or sorority/were from the same university, and they were not open to meeting new people. This meant it was hard to make friends within the school. |
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! |
