Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Great minus the academics Past Review

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 08/29/2016 to 12/14/2016 with

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Paris

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Improved my French. learned a lot about French culture and saw a lot of Paris. That made it worthwhile.

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 host institution lacked spaces and facilities that were essential for teaching. I found my classes disappointing, the lessons dragged for hours in which they hardly delivered any interesting material, the professors often started 30-40 minutes late. I had an architectural studio class that was 8 hours long and which took place in a very small room shared by almost 30 students. Without space to work, the experience just became a claustrophobic mess. I did not find the creativity fostering environment I was hoping for when I decided to go to an architecture school.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I absolutely loved my host mother.

* Food:

I loved having the chance to cook for myself. I had dinner with my host mother once a week, and that was pretty nice.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I could have done better but it was a matter of spending more time there

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I didn't have anything for which I had to seek for medical assistance

* Safety:

Despite the general concerns about terrorist attacks, I felt very safe while I was in Paris.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

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)

Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Cook more often Ride a bicycle

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? 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? French 221 From Romanticism to Modernism
How many hours per day did you use the language? 10+
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? Listen to French Radio. Make friends with locals.

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
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?
  • My host family
  • Paris
  • Language pledge
* What could be improved?
  • Academic programs
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? The classes that I could take, the facilities or lack of of the local institution.

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 Nearly Native or Trail Blazer
Craving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.'

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Villes et Territoires
Course Department: Architecture
Instructor: Ghorayeb
Instruction Language: French
Comments: It was not a hard class. Had I not done the suggested readings (which no one else seemed to do), I wouldn't have learned much. We had a couple of presentations in which we had to use elements of urban analysis and a final essay to write in class.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Course de Langue Intermediare Avance
Course Department: French
Instructor: Guedon
Instruction Language: French
Comments: I was hoping much more from this class. Class discussions went off topic every time. Although the format of the class was conversational I did not get to work on the pronunciation issues I had and ended up meeting a tutor outside of class. Overall, I did not find it very helpful to improve my communication abilities.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Cartographie
Course Department: Architecture
Instructor: Marin
Instruction Language: French
Comments: I got to practice Illustrator but besides that, I didn't learn much. It's like I had never taken a course about cartography.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Une Histoire de l'Art Francais
Course Department: Art History
Instructor: Stevenson
Instruction Language: French
Comments: Mrs. Stevenson did a very good job giving an overview of the history of French Art. We had a couple of assignments (papers and presentations) that were challenging but for which we had clear guidelines. It would have been nice to have more field trips to see in person the art pieces we were talking about, but I had that experience also going to museums on my own.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Atelier

Course Department: Architecture
Instructor: Kamalvand
Instruction Language: French
Comments: The course was very challenging. We had two big design projects that I would have enjoyed more working on if the class setting was more appropriate for it. We had class one day a week for 8 hours and sometimes an extra day for other 3 hours. That would have been fine if we could work on the project during that time but there wasn't physical space to do so. The classroom was tiny and it was shared by a group of almost 30 students. I barely had space to draw being elbow against elbow with my peers. We also spent several consecutive weeks listening to presentations. After three weeks, listening to my peers say the same thing for 8 hours, I started to wonder if I would have been better off dropping the program. This course was not by any means what I expected but I did learn a lot of useful things from the feedback of my professor, and I taught myself how to use CAD.
Credit Transfer Issues: