Everything is smaller in France Past Review
By Aaron V (Neuroscience / French, SUNY - Binghamton) for
SUNY Oswego: Paris - La Sorbonne
I learned a lot of little differences that I didn't know existed. I learned a lot of French. I made a bunch of friends but other than that it's hard to nail down exactly what I gained from it right at this moment.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
| The term and year this program took place: | Spring 2010 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I definitely benefitted in the speaking area but not quite as much as I would have liked. Also, I felt as though I might have scored higher given a different grading scheme. A lot of what our grades depended on were the final exams. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I don't really know what rating to give the administration. Everything went pretty smoothly despite the large volume of students enrolled in the program. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Tiny. 18 meters squared and too expensive but a great location. Luckily, the French government is kind enough to help out foreign students studying in their country. The apartment was found through FUSAC by me. <br /><br /> Lived alone, borrowed a lot of stuff necessary to live. Had to buy a lot as well but was unable to bring most of it back. Really safe in the historic districts of Paris. The apartment itself was unsatisfactory but I was able to save some money by not living in the Foyer. |
| * Food: |
The dining halls are good and cheap, they're called "CROUS" I believe but they're kind of a pain to get to and from just for a meal. That's why I usually stick to eating at home. Paris is vegetarian friendly but not very vegan friendly. I'm neither so I had no problem. The food seems overall to be much fresher than the food in the United States, as France has monumental restrictions on their food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I was in the cultural center of the French world. Just in Paris there is enough culture but with my program we also went to Normandy, Saint-Malo, Mount Saint-Michel, and Reims. |
| * Safety: |
I felt extremely safe throughout the program. I didn't have any major complications. The program itself doesn't offer solutions to student health issues but the director was on call 24/7 if we really needed her. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | It's hard to say. Being a student in Paris, a lot of the cultural things that you do are either free or reduced. I didn't really tally up weekly expenses because that's not my thing but I'd say in my 5 months there, I probably went through at least $2500 not including rent. This includes food, daily transportation, extra transportation out of the city, going out at night, personal needs, etc. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Plan for the worst and believe the fears of others when it comes to spending. Then, check it out for yourself. It's better to have more than you need. |
Language
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I believe overall that I'm a more effective communicator. |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | See above. |
