One of the most challenging and simultaneously most rewarding years of my life Past Review
By Lior Selve (Middlebury College) - abroad from 09/06/2018 to 05/19/2019 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Paris
I became fluent in a language I love, discovered a new passion for art, and made many personal self-discoveries about how I deal with stress and adversity
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
It was a very demanding program academically, which pushed me to learn as much as I could. Because of the demands my french improved rapidly and significantly. The resources were great and the classed were interesting. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Incredibly organized and they were always there for us, regardless of the issue. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
My first host family's food was not great. When I moved into an apartment I simply made my own which was great |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Over the course of the year I made french friends -- thanks to being in a dorm -- and then truly felt lile a part of the french people and culture around me |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had no problems but it was very affordable |
| * Safety: |
I never felt unsafe -- though I know that my female contemporaries had to deal with a surprising amount of sexual harassment on the street |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
It was difficult and pushed me and allowed me to achieve my goals |
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? | around $100 to $150 each week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | grocery shop at cheap places and buy in bulk. |
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 |
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| 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? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | An intermediate French lanaguage course |
| 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? | force yourself to go out there and speak to people. Join a group in any activity you like. Try and fall in love with the language. Do as much reading in that language as you can bear. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | I wish that I had known that my academic experience wasn't the key experience and that I had stressed less about the grades early on |
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! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Theories and images of totalitarianism |
| Course Department: | Literature |
| Instructor: | Martin Kaltenecker |
| Instruction Language: | French |
| Comments: | Yes it was very challenging as we had to read a theoretical text by Hannah Arendt in French. The teacher was very knowledgeable and also a kind and understanding man and I definitely learned a lot under his tutelage. We had two exams and a long final paper which were all difficult, but doable as long as one studied the books intensely. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I am not sure yet as I haven't attempted to transfer it yet |
