Aix is what you make of it Past Review
By A student (French and International Relations, Wellesley College) - abroad from 01/01/2013 to 05/17/2013 with
Wellesley College: Aix-en-Provence - Wellesley-in-Aix
N.B. I said I wouldn't choose the same program not because I hated WIA, but because I was deciding between WIA and Sciences Po Paris and think that Paris might have been a better fit for me. The program was certainly worthwhile, but I felt like I wasted a lot of time. Maybe that's because I get really irritated whenever I feel like I'm not intellectually stimulated enough, or because I felt like my semester was like "learning to be a housewife 101" since I was totally unaware of the responsibilities living in an apartment would entail. So, shame on me for not doing my homework ahead of time and just jumping into the program. I do think I'm a lot more independent now that I've figured out how to live on my own in an apartment and deal with various medical issues in a foreign country. Also, if you live in an apartment you get to hang out with a "fake" host family on the weekends/basically whenever you want, and my host parents were the best I could have ever asked for. I'm flying back to France soon to visit them, actually!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The quality of your educational experience will definitely depend on what you're looking to study here, but as a Wellesley student I was disappointed with the very obvious lack of resources overseas. In general, French professors don't take their students as seriously as American professors do. That being said, it's still an eye-opening cultural experience to view pedagogical differences firsthand. I also thought that seeing how the French write differently was fascinating and has actually helped me grow as a writer and a French major. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I found that the Paris pre-session was extremely well-organized. The rest of the outings were pretty well organized, too, but I did feel like I was sort of thrown into my apartment the first day we arrived in Aix. While we were in Paris it felt like absolutely everything was taken care of for us, but when we were in Aix it felt as if we weren't receiving enough guidance. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in an apartment in the heart of the city of Aix, which was extremely convenient but also very old! To be honest, I freaked out the few times when the kitchen sink pipes burst (though it was a quick fix). On the flip side, the WIA program is really good about replacing anything that's broken/falling apart (well, as long as you didn't break it!) |
| * Food: |
The food here is the best you'll have in your entire life. 'Nuff said. Be sure to hit up the open air markets and cook a few meals for yourself, even if you live in a host family. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It took a while, and by a while I mean a couple of months. Aix is super white, and the Aixois are quick to make you feel uncomfortable if you're not. In my case, I faced several months of people catcalling/making racist comments to my face. When you meet French people who aren't like that, HOLD ON TO THEM. Although I met some pretty awful people in Aix, I also met the most genuine people in the world there! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Healthcare is so easily accessible here, and you get safe and effective treatment way faster than in the States. Just be conscious of whether your health insurance will cover expenses abroad. Ladies, if you're planning on getting birth control here, it's free. Just Google CIDAG Aix, call and set up an appointment, and you're good to go. |
| * Safety: |
Nothing serious ever happened to me, but you have to be a lot more careful in Aix (well, in Europe in general) than in the States. Don't leave your belongings in public spaces (especially not nightclubs). In general, just don't leave anything unattended. As for walking outside at night, I think it's fine if you're in a group, and I frequently walked by myself at night to get back to my apartment. That being said, there were a few people who cautioned me to be careful when they saw me, and I was followed by a few drunk men outside of bars until I shooed them away. So, just be aware, and it's not a bad idea to hold your keys in between your fingers. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
Unless you're used to dropping big bucks every week while you're at college, you should be fine. I lived in an apartment and got 500 euros/month, which is a little more than 16 euros a day. You can get food pretty cheaply if you know where to shop (Dia is the cheapest supermarket if you're running low on money). If you plan on doing a lot of shopping, then the stipend obviously won't be enough for you and you'll have to dig into your personal savings. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | About 100 euros per week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If you use hair conditioner, bring it with you. It's quite expensive in France. Same goes for contact lens solution. Buy all of your produce in the open air markets...most of the time it'll be cheaper and fresher than what you can get at Monoprix (or other supermarkets). |
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 |
Well, we were ALWAYS encouraged to use the language, but at times the language policy wasn't enforced. I guess it's more French to raise your eyebrows at your students than to tell them, "Stop speaking English!" I spoke French exclusively for the first two weeks, but this sort of unraveled as I ran into other students on the program in Aix and we'd speak English because I didn't want to be the jerk who would never stop speaking French. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I had already taken two 300-level French classes. |
| 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? | You need boat loads of self-control. Keep reminding yourself of your goals in enrolling in the program. It helps if you set rules for yourself (e.g. no speaking English until after 10 p.m.). But it also helps to remember that you eventually want to earn the respect of French people, and pretty much the only way to do that is to speak French consistently - not only to them, but to your American friends while you're abroad. Every French stranger who has ever talked to me or my friends has been amazed to find out that we're American students, and we *willingly* speak to each other in French. It totally delights (and baffles) them. So make it a habit, and if you can't find a quick way to express your thoughts in French, it always help to pause and find more basic words in French to express what you mean rather than reverting to English. |
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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| 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? |
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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 Aix is really nothing like Paris, but it is what you make of it. Go out there and force yourself to meet locals. It's really hard because a lot of them seem really snobby, but you have to keep looking. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
