Paris: Enlightening Experiences in the City of Lights - Paris-Sorbonne University Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The academic educational experience I received at the Sorbonne during my study abroad in Paris was only surpassed by the cultural educational experience. After being placed in advanced language & civilization courses, I took general language and phonetics classes, art history, and 20th century literature. I truly enjoyed all of my professors, their teaching styles, and coursework and felt I learned a lot.

On-site administration of your program

Our program directors were always helpful in sticky situations, knowledgeable, approachable, and took us on fantastic excursions around the country.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I loved our small Parisian flat - it was certainly large enough to accommodate me and my three roommates, but was very authentic and charming. We were in the center of the city, within walking distance to all major landmarks, classes, and anything else we needed (groceries, convenience stores, banks, laundry, nightlife, etc.) My three roommates and I had minimal problems living together and really enjoyed our experience.

My apartment was located directly across the street from a large grocery store, so my roommates and I did much more cooking than eating out. Instead of living on campus and having to eat dining hall food, I was happy that we got to shop for groceries alongside Parisians and prepare our own meals.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Abroadco's study abroad programs include great excursions -- we visited the Normandy/Brittany region, Brussels, and Aix-en-Provence, and all were unbelievable. When you're in Europe, it's also very easy to hop on a train and travel to other European countries. My friends and I traveled to Spain, the Netherlands, and Greece.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I felt perfectly safe throughout my entire stay in Paris, but I know that if I had any safety-related incidents at any time, that the program directors were only a phone call away. I only had to visit a doctor once for a cold - the program's insurance covered it completely.

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

I learned a ton from my general French language and phonetics courses -- especially the phonetics class, which really improved my pronunciation, resulting in many Parisians I encountered guessing that I was actually a native speaker. I found it difficult to practice speaking, however, since I was one of only two students in my program in the advanced level - the rest were Americans and Canadians at the very beginning levels of learning the language.

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• Apartment

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• Americans