Global Begginins France Past Review

By (Biology, General., Colby-Sawyer College) for

CEPA Foundation: Strasbourg - EU Studies Semester Abroad Program

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Academically I think it was very detrimental, but just being able to go to Europe for such an extended period of time was amazing.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

We had very limited interaction with other people outside of our group, and considering how few people were involved, it made it very hard being around the same 8 people all day every day.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

Finances

* 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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? About 60 euros
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? We weren't given the cost of our books, or even given the option to buy them ahead of time. We weren't told about the costs of deposits (cellphones/bikes/etc.)

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Language acquisition improvement?

I did not get the amount of French exposure I was hoping for, our language class was very elementary, and there wasn't an opportunity to get more advanced instruction.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Other
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I feel like the setting we were in made it very hard to do well academically. I have taken college courses before and it was nothing like it. All of the classes were to informal, and it was hard to take them seriously.