Reid Hall Paris: Rewarding for the Effort Made Past Review
By Katherine W (ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE/LETTERS., Harvard University) for
Columbia University: Paris - Reid Hall, Summer
My experience was worthwhile because it taught me that I do not want to live in a city as big as Paris, and that I do not love the French language enough to want to spend and entire semester in France. I learned a lot about having to manage my own budget and how to get around in a city. I got to see amazing art and go to amazing places, and for that, my experience was worthwhile.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I really liked my art history class a lot. The style was very similar to an American class. We had lectures three times a week and were assigned weekly readings. We also had two tests and a final research paper. I was less fond of my French conversation class. My teacher graded partially on the appearance (ie. handwriting) of our work, which would never happen at an American university. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The major weakness of this program is that there is no cohesive student body. The only students I got to know were the ones that took the same classes as me. Since we lived all over the city, it was hard to get to know anyone else. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I was very satisfied with my housing. Although I was technically outside of Paris, and it was sometimes difficult to get into the city late at night, I had an overall very positive experience with my host family. They were interesting and polite and gave me enough independence. They also cooked vegetarian meals for me. However, I did feel as if i were treated, to a certain extent, as a client. At one point, there were 4 other students in the house with me and my family did not remember the students who'd stayed with them in the past. I felt like I was a way for them to make money. |
| * Food: |
It was hard to find cheap food other than sandwiches, but the quality of the food was very good. If you plan on eating out, go to a restaurant for lunch and order of the prix fixe menu, which are usually a good deal. Then get a sandwich or crepe for dinner. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The program organized day trips to places like Giverny and Reims. These trips were fun, but the social climate of the entire trip was not one I particularly liked. It was very difficult to get to know people outside of class. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I frequently felt unsafe on my walk home from the RER station. The were lots of idle men on the street I had to take, and they often whistled or called at me. At night, walking around unbothered in Paris seems almost impossible because the men are so aggressive. |
| 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? | I spent about 300 dollars a week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | France is much, much more expensive than you think it will be. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 3rd year french |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I spoke French to my host family and in my classes but found it difficult to speak French at other times. Almost all of the participants on my program were American, so we spoke English the majority of the time. Although we made a conscious effort to speak French, we'd often naturally transition back to our native language. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Try to speak French whenever possible, as you will have a lot of opportunities to speak English. Take advantage of the time you have in Paris and don't just stay in the Reid Hall area or only go to major tourist attractions. Also. bring more money than you think you will need. |
