Study Abroad Semester in France: Unforgettable and Mentally Draining Past Review
By A student (Wellesley College) - abroad from 01/03/2016 to 05/15/2016 with
Wellesley College: Aix-en-Provence - Wellesley-in-Aix
I learned that I'm pretty adaptable to whatever circumstances I'm in, but that I'm not invincible and am prone to depression. I'm not sure if it was worthwhile yet.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The classes I took were by no means on the level of Wellesley College, both due to the content of the courses and the challenges in adjusting to the French university system. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I never felt comfortable with my host family. I am a quiet person in general, and having to conform to other people's schedules did not sit well with me. In addition, I felt rather isolated from other people in the program since my host family lived a bit outside of town. I didn't really fit in with my host family and honestly kind of dreaded having to sit down and have dinner with them every night. At first I thought I just had to adjust to the situation but after two months went by there was no change in my feelings. I let my program director know but she unfortunately dismissed my concerns and told me I just needed to give it more time to adjust. I never said anything else because I don't like to cause problems for anyone, but I wish my concerns had been listened to when I voiced them and been moved to a room on my own or something. |
| * Food: |
Most of the food my host family fed me was some sort of casserole, very often with goat cheese, which I hate. I was often apprehensive about that night's dinner, as it could turn out to be delicious or horrible (in my opinion, anyway). I rarely said anything about it because I felt like an intruder in the house and didn't want to cause more problems, but I do wish I'd been given fewer heavy casseroles and such. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
In terms of bodily health, the program did a good job at addressing them. However, the mental health resources available were severely lacking. In the guidebook we were given, there was no section devoted to taking care of yourself mentally or about what you could do if you felt bad. The only concession to mental health was a small square of information at the back of the guidebook with a psychologist's information in it. Mental health was never really addressed in any discussions about the program either, and I wish it had been. |
| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
The small town environment I was in made me feel trapped and isolated at times. There was little to do unless you wanted to take a bus and travel the whole day. I wish I'd been in a city with plenty of museums and restaurants and things to do. |
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? | $60 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Keep track of your spending and how often you withdraw money! It's often less expensive to use your card in places like restaurants or stores than using the local currency. |
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 |
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| 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? | A 200-level language and literature course on Versailles and Louis XIV |
| 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? | Try to read news articles, watch a show, or listen to music in the language you'll be studying. That will help with your academic reading and writing, but you'll learn conversational words and phrases as you adjust to the setting and language you're in. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | It can be incredibly lonely to study abroad. For me, the homesickness never went away, but it might have been alleviated if I hadn't been with a host family with whom I felt uncomfortable. You need to be able to speak up about what you need, and be firm about it because you might not be listened to the first time. |
