Student Life in a Place and Time that Feels like Summer Past Review
By Benjamin A (Undecided, Harvard University) for
Columbia University: Paris - Reid Hall, Summer
Studying abroad was definitely worthwhile. I was able to better understand French life and culture and differences in French teaching style. Being able to explore Paris and relate what was around me to what I was seeing in class was something I could not have experienced anywhere else.
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Every professor there was very proficient in French, which dramatically helped me improve my French, both written and oral. Furthermore, the teachers at Reid Hall were all so enthusiastic, welcoming, and caring, and really wanted us to both learn and apply what we were learning outside of class in the city of Paris. The workload was always reasonable, and the professors always gave us 5-10 minute breaks during each 2.5-3 hour class. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Reid Hall's faculty and administration was superb. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming, classes were always interesting, and assignments were always engaging. The program was not too big, so it was easy to meet and get to know fellow students. This also meant that classroom sizes were small, and so I always was able to get close contact with my professors and really talk and hear my classmates' opinions every day. Frequent trips and activities through Reid Hall but not associated with classes also were a wonderful opportunity to immerse in French culture, get to know Paris and its surroundings better, and once again spend time with classmates from Reid Hall. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived with my French relatives throughout the duration of the Reid Hall Program. |
| * Food: |
The French quality of food is probably among the best in the world. There are many places for people with all kinds of dietary preferences or restrictions to dine in Paris. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Our program organized a wonderful trip to visit Montmartre. This trip allowed me to meet more Reid Hall students and to see and learn things I did not know about Montmartre. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I never felt in any kind of danger while at Reid Hall; on the contrary, Reid Hall is located in a wonderful neighborhood just near the Jardin du Luxembourg. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Though I recommend looking up some of these prices for updates and more exact approximations for anyone planning on spending time in Paris, I recall spending about 40-50 euros on public transportation for about 5 weeks (I used public transportation very often during visits in and out of class, and daily commuting from home to Reid Hall), and about 10-50 euros on food per week (most of my meals were at home). |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | It is very important to take into account the price of public transportation, which was probably my largest expense. A monthly pass is probably the best way to go if you plan on really exploring Paris, on taking classes that ask you to visit many different neighborhoods, and on living at a considerable distance from the Reid Hall campus. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I had not taken any French courses in college or high school, but I did grow up speaking French and had taken the French AP Exam. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
With my professors, classmates, and family I was living with. Most people did speak English, though it was often easier and more expected to be speaking in the host country language in everyday interactions. |
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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