Life Changing Experience! I love IAU! Past Review
By Arianna Zabriskie (Colorado State University) - abroad from 01/20/2013 to 05/15/2013 with
Institute for American Universities (IAU): The School of Humanities & Social Sciences, Aix-en-Provence, France
Absolutely!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The education experience at IAU was incredible. It taught me how to love learning, I highly recommend this program. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The IAU staff were extremely helpful and there were many resources for me as a student. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Living with a host was a great cultural experience. My language skills improved greatly because of this. |
| * Food: |
French food is fantastic, especially the produce! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I felt very socially integrated in the French culture. I do believe this varies from person to person and depends how open you are to new culture to begin with. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had to go to the doctor twice and it was a breeze. IAU helped me find an English speaking doctor and the care I received was the same as back home. |
| * Safety: |
I always felt very safe in Aix. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I wish I did a year instead of a semester! |
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) |
I spent around 100 a week but most of my meals were covered by my host. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | EURO 150 per week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Try to do minimal spending at lunch. I would buy salad stuff at the market and make my salads/sandwich on campus in between class. IAU provides an area to eat lunch and this is how I saved money. |
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 |
A lot of language encouragement! |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| 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? | French 1 |
| 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? | Avoid speaking English with your American friends and meet French friends:) |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
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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| 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? | Dont be afraid to integrate with French people. |
