Nice is Nice Past Review
By Elisabeth Michaud (University of Minnesota - Twin Cities) - abroad from 01/14/2016 to 04/29/2016 with
IES Abroad: Nice Direct Enrollment - Université Nice Sophia Antipolis
The biggest thing I gained is more confidence. After becoming a much more experienced traveler, I feel far more comfortable in a foreign country, even one where I don't know the language. I also feel more confident in my ability to learn a language so fast. I think it's completely feasible to live in a country where I don't know the language and pick up the language conversationally as I go. It would be hard. But it would be possible.
Review Photos
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. |
The academic rigor was definitely there. The immersion of my experience in Direct Enrollment helped my French grow immensely and also gave me more confident in a French classroom. However, the French school's administration was difficult to navigate and seemed disorganized for the first few weeks. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Amazing! I love the IES administration in Nice; they were extremely helpful when the administration at my host school was tough. Overall very supportive. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Had another immersive experience here and loved that. I got wonderful ammenities that I didn't expect to get like laundry done once a week and breakfast every day of the week. |
| * Food: |
It was incredible living somewhere so close to the fresh food, especially in January! The dinners provided by my host family were excellent as well. The French knowing how to cook very well is a stereotype, and luckily in my case it was a true one. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
By the end of my stay, I felt like a part of the city and definitely far from a tourist. But looking back, I know I could have made more of an effort to make French friends. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I never had to seek health care, but IES suggested an international provider which was easy enough to set up. Luckily I never had to use it! |
| * Safety: |
The IES administration made sure that their students knew what safety protocol was, including drills for responding to emergency texts and knowing where our "safe spots" were. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I met amazing friends, worked under a wonderful administration that I hope to keep in touch with, lived in one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen, and improved my French language skills more in one semester than I have in the past year. |
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) |
Western Europe in general doesn't tend to be very cheap, but when you live with a host family and get meals included, cost goes down significantly. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I tried to limit myself to $50/week, not including the weeks I traveled or bought gifts. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Most of the meals I provided for myself were supermarket items, and then I would eat out twice a week at the most! I also planned nights out so that I could avoid spending more than $25 just on drinks. As for museums/day trips, I looked for things with student discounts! Many places included those prices. Or I opted for outdoor adventures like hikes because = free. :) |
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 |
For my personal experience, I chose things that pushed me to use French as much as I could. But the great thing about IES is that there were also students who didn't speak French there but were learning it as they went along. I think that's also a really important option to provide for people that maybe didn't plan out for the past few years that France is the country they want to study abroad in. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I had taken a French literature course and a French linguistics course the semester before I departed. |
| 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? | Talk to the people! Don't limit yourself to just the classroom and your homestay, though these are also great ways to practice. Just push yourself further and further outside of your comfort zone. |
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? | 0 |
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? | Leave room in your suitcase. The things you're going to take back with you will be far more important than the things you're bringing with you. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
