I don't know Past Review

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 08/31/2018 to 12/20/2018 with

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Bordeaux

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
My French improved. Yes

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The cours magistracy were good for the most part, but I found the conferences de méthodes extremely difficult for foreign students. Many of the readings I was given in one of the conferences were academic and were written in such a way that even native French speakers found them a little difficult to comprehend. In the other conference de méthode, I did not find the professor to be neither very nice nor particularly helpful. I tried to ask her questions by staying after class, however it seemed as though she always had somewhere she had to go and could not really stay to answer my questions. She never suggested another time that I could ask her questions. Furthermore, she spilt the students in the class into four groups and asked a certain group to prepare a presentation for the next class. Then, during class, she randomly selected a person from each group to present. One never knew what day one would be called upon to present and despite preparing a presentation before every class meeting I was told someone from my group would be slected to present, the professor never selected me. Furthermore, I found the writing assignments (which were timed) to be fairly challenging for a non-native speaker of French and I believe that the low grades the professor gave me demonstrated that she did not really take into consideration that French was not my first language when grading my work.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My host family was extremely welcoming and nice. They invited me to go with them to their home by the beach and to the home of husband's mother several times. They helped me improve my French and were very accommodating of my picky eating.

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I do not know what the healthcare is like, as I did not go to a doctor while I was in France.

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

The program is through my undergraduate institution, so it was easiest to do this study abroad program. In addition, I feel that the structure of the program helped me improve my ability to speak French.

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)

I'm really not the best person to answer this question as I wasn't really trying to spend as little as possible and thus spent more than was absolutely necessary. I paid my host family about 550 euros per month because I wanted to eat dinner with them every night since I can't really cook. I also took piano lessons there which cost 35 euros each and I sometimes used Uber when it was late at night after the bus service had stopped. Further, I took a trip to Toulouse by train and visited the Airbus factory, thereby incurring additional expenses which were unnecessary.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? I did not keep track.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Advanced
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? French 0230
How many hours per day did you use the language?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Being immersed in French
* What could be improved?
  • I believe that the workload in the conferences de methodes is too onerous for a non-native speaker
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? How fatiguing it is to speak a foreign language all the time

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 Linguist
You 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!

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Methode Sciences Politique

Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments: I already wrote a review of the class which I sent to David Paoli in which I explain how I felt about the course.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Institutions Politiques Françaises

Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language: French
Comments: I wrote a review of the class which I sent to David Paoli in which I explain how I felt about the course.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Institutions éuropeenes

Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments: I already wrote a review of the class which I sent to David Paoli in which I explain how I felt about the course.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Histoire Culturelle et Politique

Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments: I already wrote a review of the class which I sent to David Paoli in which I explain how I felt about the course.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Culture Générale

Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments: I already wrote a review of the class which I sent to David Paoli in which I explain how I felt about the course.
Credit Transfer Issues: