Sun, wine, and brie Past Review
By A student (French and Comparative Literature, Wellesley College) - abroad from 08/19/2011 to 05/26/2012 with
Wellesley College: Aix-en-Provence - Wellesley-in-Aix
Absolutely worthwhile.
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. |
This is a difficult question to respond to because while the expectations were much lower than at Wellesley in terms of amount of work and class participation and I felt that our peers, though French, were not on par with the community at Wellesley, the professors still demanded an elevated, insightful level of thought and I learned quite a bit I am not sure I would have been exposed to at Wellesley. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
This is a 4 because the organization was exceptional. Everything was very clear, and all we really had to do as students was show up. However, on a more personal level I did find the administration lacking. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The Bosco family was wonderful |
| * Food: |
The dinners we had with the program were beyond most things I've eaten before. It was as much an adventure in food as language. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
|
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I did not hear any reports of people not getting health care they needed, but then the need did not arise very often. |
| * Safety: |
|
| 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) |
I was lucky to be living with a host family as I could often grab fruit from them, but there were times I was required to draw on my own funds, outside of the stipend. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 75 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | little things like buying lunch or the occasional soda really add up, its always better to bring stuff from home. |
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? | Fren 302 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | stay in a host family! |
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? |
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? | I wish I had known a little more about Aix--how sort of chic and expensive it was, but also all the cool history to discover there |
