France: Best college experience thus far! Past Review
By Candis W (Interior Architecture, Indiana University of Pennsylvania) for
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Aix-en-Provence, France
Studying abroad was the highlight of my college career so far. I have now added a French major and am planning to study abroad again.
Review Photos
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. |
I usually always had homework for my classes, but never too much. It always just solidified what we had learned in class. The lecture teaching and very long classes were different than my prior French classes, but I enjoyed this aspect a lot. We always went over the homework in class so that we could see what we needed to study more, and what we had learned correctly. The grading in some classes was more difficult because all we had were tests, and no supplementary material to buffer our grades. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Our program advisers in CEA-Aix were fabulous! They were always willing and available to help in anyway possible. There were always supplemental programs that were available to us, such as wine tastings and cooking classes. Vivienne, our program director was knowledgeable on everything in the town of Aix and was always willing to chat with us about any questions we had regarding the language, the country or our experience thus far. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Housing with American girls was refreshing after having to speak French all day. We had 'family dinners' and spoke french at these to practice! |
| * Food: |
shopped frequently at the farmers market which was super convenient. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
One of my favorites was the trip to Nice and Monaco. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I felt very safe the entire time I was in Aix. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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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Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 202 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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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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? | Travel as much as possible! Me and my roommates traveled almost every weekend, and had such great experiences. |
