Travelling and just being in France was amazing! Past Review
By Heather L (Cinema and Media Studies/French, Wellesley College) for
Wellesley College: Aix-en-Provence - Wellesley-in-Aix
Yes! Travelling was a dream! I really learned about living with other people, too. Having a roommate in your own apartment and living in your own apartment is really not the same as a dorm. I think I really learned the responsibilities of real life. Culturally, travelling really opened my world, and I loved it!
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Universite de Provence (Aix-Marseille), L'Institut d'Etudes Politiques |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
| The term and year this program took place: | Full-Year 2009 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I was really lucky because the film department was really good, and I was able to take very interesting classes with professors that really cared, which I know wasn't necessarily the case for everyone. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Our director was nice, but sometimes she didn't get things done in a timely fashion. I think it would have been better if there was someone devoted to problem-solving, because that's a big thing when you're studying abroad. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in the centre-ville of Aix in a lovely apartment for two. It was nice. <br /><br /> I loved it! It was a great location, but our apartment was one huge room, which made it really difficult to have privacy. |
| * Food: |
I cooked with ingredients from the marche, and I loved it! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Travelling and just being in France was amazing! A lot of the meals we had with our program were quite nice! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
We took care of our own health, and the French system is kind of a nightmare. It's just different from the US, I guess, but there are a lot of hoops to jump through. Aix was really safe and I pretty much always felt fine. |
| 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? | Probably 100 euros a week, but then I travelled a lot and spent more. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Ryanair was great. Other than that, I don't have any huge things on which to advise. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I practiced language with conversation partners and in activities like dance classes and theatre workshops. I used French in everyday interactions, but very simple phrases for the most part. Most people did speak English, but I tried to keep speaking French. It was really hard because I lived in the same building as 7 other Americans and we only spoke English to each other. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Aix is wonderful! It's a great town, and it's also a great hub for travel because it's so close to Marseilles. Highly recommended! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Cinema and Politics |
| Course Department: | IEP Second Year Class |
| Instructor: | Andre Baldous |
| Instruction Language: | French |
| Comments: | This class was so interesting! It related real films, not documentaries, with the politics of the time, and the teacher was very organized and together. I learned a lot! |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | n/a |
