Program didn't live up to my expectations Past Review
By A student (Anonymous University) - abroad from 08/30/2016 to 12/19/2016 with
France Study Abroad Reflections: Comprehensive Reviews of Past Programs
Do more research into the program you're choosing.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The courses provided by APA itself were horrible. I think they tried to model the american university system... but with no sympathy or acknowledgement that french is our second language. in the actual university courses I took I received more support and understanding form the professors, whereas at APA it seemed they wanted us to devote our entire lives to their two makeshift university courses. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Incredibly unprofessional and intrusive. If you missed a class they would call you 15-20 times demanding to know why, but never restated the absence policy which led to 4 students in my program (of 10 students) to almost fail an APA directed course... for which they claimed it wasn't their responsibility to tell us about absences... even though the resources were never available to us online. The staff would make snarky or biting comments and clearly exhibited favoritism. Overall they cast a huge shadow over my study abroad experience. Would highly not recommend. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
|
| * Food: |
|
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
|
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
|
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
They were the worst part of studying abroad |
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) |
|
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $100-200 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | work really hard the summer before going abroad. It's worth it to have the extra spending money. |
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? | High level university french |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
| 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? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | That APA would ruin my study abroad experience |
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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
