The Best Semester of My Life, Brought To Me Through CEA Past Review
By Dana Fazziola (Ithaca College) - abroad from 08/28/2017 to 12/16/2017 with
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Paris, France
So much more than I could ever write here. How to meet new people, how to be open-minded to all of the other people in the world. How to handle the everyday tasks of being adult.
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. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They handled absolutely everything from where to obtain a French phone plan to where to buy the best cheese. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in a dorm, which made meeting other international students incredibly easy! BUT, it was a dorm that had the typical dorm accommodations. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
CEA staff made sure to know where students were traveling each weekend to ensure everybody's safety. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
The support was incredible and the classes were interesting. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. |
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) |
Paris is an expensive city |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $250 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Absolutely make a budget (even a loose one). Know how much you spend on groceries your first week so that you can anticipate if you're spending too much. |
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 |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | No formal classes |
| 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? | Learn practical phrases before you go! Then, focus on understanding the grammar of those phrases. Something useful: Je voudrais un croissant, s'il vous plait. |
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? |
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? | That they loan cooking supplies, bedding, some textbooks, and their support. |
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. |
