Paris put a lot of things into perspective. Past Review

By (Political Sciences, University of California - Riverside) for

University of California EAP (UCEAP): Paris - Language & Culture Programs, UC Center Paris

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
It was definitely something that I would love to do again. I learned a lot about myself, my friends back home, and everything. A lot of things were put into perspective and reminds me to not take things for granted.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The workload and the grading system was fair for the amount of information we were learning in the 7 week period.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The professors were understanding that we are students from another country and that we would like to explore Paris while we were there. So the course work that was given was very reasonable.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

I do not have any restrictions, so I ate whatever I felt like.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

There were a lot of different holidays that were going on during the summer that was amazing to experience to see all the natives interact and everything.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

I felt that Paris is a really safe city. I would walk around the city with friends late at night and never felt my safety was in danger.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

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)

Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Give yourself a weekly budget because that would be an easier way to monitor your spending instead of having one large budget.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? None
Language acquisition improvement?

I had practice my French with friends, and people whom I had interacted with during everyday activities. However, with my friends we tended to speak more English more than French together.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Don't go expecting that this experience is going to be the best thing ever because things tend to not love up to your expectations. Also, do not limit yourself when it comes to food, adventures, exploring, anything.