go study abroad! Past Review

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 09/02/2019 to 12/23/2019 with

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Paris

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Definitely worthwhile, I feel very fortunate to attend school where I do.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I had a very heavy courseload.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Helpful in some cases, not very helpful in others. They definitely throw you into the abroad experience, as they should, but at times felt that they left some major issues unnoticed.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

Paris food is amazing but it truly is the most expensive city in the world.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

Definitely good to know where protests were planned in advance.

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

I had a lot of bumps in the road on my abroad program - health issues, family issues, etc. The program was very accommodating, but for this reason I would study elsewhere.

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)

Paris is incredibly expensive.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 200

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 220
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 your host family!!

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
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?
  • Great building for Midd classes
  • Good courses
* What could be improved?
  • Better welcome-week
  • More communication with students
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? the price of Paris, and that abroad is nothing like how it appears on social media.

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 Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Roman et Modernity

Course Department: Literature
Instructor:
Instruction Language: French
Comments: Challenging course, great prof. Read interesting books, assessed by papers and exames
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Economy of the Enterprise

Course Department: Economics
Instructor:
Instruction Language: French
Comments: Graded based on oral presentations and two exams.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Welfare Economics

Course Department: Economics
Instructor:
Instruction Language: French
Comments: Class was very interesting, especially because welfare in France is so different from US. Graded on exams.
Credit Transfer Issues: