Lit, Crazy, Movie September 08, 2026
By A student (Psychology, Wellesley College) - abroad from 01/05/2026 to 05/09/2026 with
SAI Study Abroad: Paris - American University of Paris (AUP)
I learned to not dress like a bum when leaving the house. Paris definitely up'ed my fashion sense. I also learned to cherish my friendships and work things through with my friends. Since I was studying with people from Wellesley, I was able to bond with them in a really special way which made it worthwhile for me.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Academic rigor was okay. I liked how the classes were interesting but not too much. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Admin was pretty good; the orientation helped me get oriented on campus and around Paris. It was also easy to talk to people like for healthcare and stuff. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in a Jouffroy apartment and I really liked the apartment but the no guests after 10 pm or overnight guest policy felt really wack. I was paying a lot to live there, and not being able to host my friends was awful. |
| * Food: |
Mostly ate around Paris or Amex cafe which was super yum. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I don't speak French so I didn't integrate that much but I went out a lot with my friends who were studying abroad with me which was sooo fun. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Health at AUP was super easy you just go to their office and get stuff reimbursed which was nice. Honestly I like local healthcare more in Paris than in USA lol. |
| * Safety: |
I lived in the 17th which felt super safe. I walked around super late at night from my friend's place and it was chill. Although, I would say that was only applicable to my area. For pickpockets, just be aware of your surroundings and hold your phone in your hand or a safe pocket. I never had a problem with pickpockets but when my brother came to visit people on the train told him that a guy stuck his hand in his backpack, so definitely be careful and if you look like you're a tourist they will target you lol. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Honestly, AUP was kind of perfect. The classes were interesting but not too hard and Paris is an amazing city to be in. |
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) |
Honestly, I went out a lot (club, bar, etc.) and ate a lot so I was spending quite a bit of money to be honest. I also travelled around a lot. I think throughout the entire semester I spent like $6000-7000 in total. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Maybe book trips early and stuff to save money on flights and housing. Also maybe bring drinks around or pregame because I definitely spent a lot of money on alcohol at the club, but I don't regret it lol. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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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? | 0 |
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 honestly don't know. Maybe to take advantage of my time there even if the weather is bad or I don't feel good because I'm only gonna live in Paris once in my life. |
