A Year in Aix Past Review
By A student (English and French, Wellesley College) - abroad from 08/19/2011 to 05/26/2012 with
Wellesley College: Aix-en-Provence - Wellesley-in-Aix
I gained confidence and more independence. I learned so much about the world and myself. I gained language skills and learned more about my interests and what I want out of life. And I met some truly incredible people. It was absolutely, 100% worthwhile.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Universite de Provence Institut d'études politiques |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
This is a hard one, because while the courses didn't demand as much outside work as courses at my home university, the fact that they were in a foreign language in an education-system that doesn't help students at all made the courses exceedingly frustrating. The amount of help you get from professors is basically zero, and you're graded on basically two (sometimes one) assignments that you produce. Also, the grading system in France is completely different than in the US, which was, at times, disconcerting. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
This is also difficult for me to answer. Logistically, the administration of the program was great - everything was organized, things were fixed (relatively) quickly, and information was fairly transparent. In terms of emotional support, though, in dealing with personal challenges adapting to the new country/education system, the administration was less than helpful, and at times, even demeaning, making you feel like it was your own fault for having any difficulties. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in an apartment, and it was fabulous. I have no complaints at all about my housing situation - the apartment was clean, new, spacious, and was a wonderful space for us. |
| * Food: |
It's France, therefore de facto, the food is going to be amazing. I especially enjoyed getting to go to markets and take advantage of fresh produce. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It's hard to make French friends, though easier for some than others. I found that, mostly, they didn't want to talk to us because we were just kind of "expendable" and another wave of exchange students. I did make a few French friends, however, and that was nice - through the Cave, mostly. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I didn't really get sick a lot, and when I did, I just went to a pharmacy and bought medicine. I never had to go to the doctor. One time, when I told the director that I was sick, she basically insinuated that it was my own fault for getting sick (it was the stomach flu, but she said that I hadn't been getting enough sleep...unrelated) and her advice was "If you're sick, go see a doctor." |
| * Safety: |
I always felt safe in Aix. |
| 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) |
It was pretty easy to live on the stipend that Wellesley gives you, especially because we did most of our cooking at home and didn't eat out much. Other things though, like drinks, shopping, movies, etc. tended to need to come out of my own budget. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
Wellesley-in-Aix is pretty militant about speaking French, especially on group excursions and program activities. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| 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? | 211 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | It's hard because you live with Americans, hang out with Americans, but getting out and just walking around, or talking to store vendors, can be helpful. If you're really really really concerned with becoming completely fluent (I wasn't) definitely live with a host family. You give up a lot, but you also gain a ton of language skills. |
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 did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | That the administration was not there to advocate for me and they would not be a support system, so not to expect that. Also that the university classes would be very very very much less than what I was used to at Wellesley. |
