Go for the experience and the art, but not as a student. Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Paris College of Art does not have the same academic rigor as the Kansas City Art Institute. The faculty does not always make the same efforts to establish relationships with the students, and in general I did not feel as connected to them and supported by them. Some of that may have been a shortcoming on my part, but it definitely does not foster the same atmosphere as KCAI. In my liberal arts classes, the overall level of academic achievement among the students is lower, therefore the expectations of the faculty is also lower. For instance, in one class the teacher gave "due dates" but then did not stick to them, then saying that they were assigned just to "get students to start their papers." In this same class, I was surprised to hear that many of my fellow students had not written an academic paper before. Additionally, in one of my studio classes, I was asked by the teacher to continue adjusting an assignment over a week after the last day of class. I felt that I went above and beyond to do work in that class exactly as my instructor asked, but then received a mediocre grade (by my standards). I was also often asked by teachers to visit museums and exhibitions which had a high entrance fee (10 euros or more) without prior warning of this expense. This happened on at least 4-5 occasions, which is frustrating for someone like myself who is not as financially comfortable as the usual students at PCA. There seemed to be lots of poor communication all over the school; between administrators, faculty, students, etc. Maybe this is due to moving to a new location, but it was frustrating. In several of my classes I felt like the teaching style was very ineffective: watch Linda.com tutorials to learn a program, and then in class just listen to the teacher talk and show reference materials, while not really connecting anything. A lot was left up to the student to figure out themselves. I think there is definitely a gap in the expectations and atmosphere between schools in Europe and the US, making the temporary transition for students only attending the school for a single semester fairly awkward. I will say that the full week of orientation activities were very fun and enjoyable, and it was a nice way to ease into the city and meet my fellow study abroad peers.

On-site administration of your program

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I chose to live in a home stay for a more complete and immersive experience. While the woman I lived with performed all of her duties to the best of her ability and did nothing wrong, at the same time I did not get out of this experience what I had intended, and in the end wished I had done something else. Also, over the summer PCA moved its location, but I was still placed according to its old location, and therefore had a long commute to and from school.

Paris is expensive and not vegetarian-friendly. This does not mean it's not also delicious, but it's hard to enjoy all the food when you have to constantly worry about money and not being properly nourished.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Parisians are not known for being warm and friendly, and this is true. It's not that anyone is particularly cruel or rude, but they just mind their own business. I felt most of my time there feeling very isolated. As far as my peers at PCA who were not study abroad students, while they were friendly enough in class, no one went out of their way to interact with me outside of school.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I had no health issues.

I never felt threatened or scared for my safety at all in Paris. Despite its many bums and drunkards and often staying out late at night, I always felt safe. I think this is especially important, considering I am a small female and often traveled alone, and I don't know French that well. Actually, there were two instances where I stopped someone from pick-pocketing me, but that's something anyone has to deal with in the city, and no harm came from it.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Paris is one of the most expensive cities in the world. I spent a ton of money on food each week. Supplies were also more expensive. The Euro/dollar conversion rate really gets you.

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

It's not that it was or wasn't encouraged; it was more of a necessity. Especially for myself, because as someone who wants to pursue art history I need to have a solid knowledge of foreign languages.

Select all that apply

• Host Family

Select all that apply

• Host Family

Select all that apply

• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• Being in Europe: easy travel, more variety in everything.
• Seeing amazing art & architecture not available in the US.
• Multi-cultural experience

• The school (a lot)
• The home stay program (more interactive)
• I could have better organized my time in some instances.

The Academic or Linguist