France: You Get What You Make Of It Past Review
By Andrew R (Public Policy Studies, St. Mary's College of Maryland) for
Sciences Po: Paris - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I learned a lot about French culture and I improved my confidence with using French.
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. |
Workload is manageable, grading system is different but not difficult to do well and Pass - which is all that is required by SMCM. Professors are not all PhD holders and many are not professional educators. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Many layers to bureaucracy, inconsistent and limited office hours, slow response times from administration officials |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
The food is incredible, ubiquitous, and can be found at all price levels. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Lectures, trip to the mosque, opportunities to travel in France and internationally arranged by SciPo. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Paris is extremely safe and its health care system is very efficient, although not parallel with the US system and this can cause problems. I had trouble getting coverage from the emergency room trip I had but eventually I got it covered 100% by my HTH student insurance. If you anticipate using French coverage it is important to get a GP early on so they can refer you to specialists as needed. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Live with a host family if the reason you are going to France is to learn and speak French. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | Students very interested in the French language as well as politics should apply to this program. If that isn't you, then this really isn't the program for you. |
