Study Abroad in France: Amazing experience - 10/10 would do again Past Review
By Student - Wellesley College (Wellesley College) - abroad from 08/20/2016 to 05/15/2017 with
Wellesley College: Aix-en-Provence - Wellesley-in-Aix
I learned a new culture and became much more fluent in the language. Very worthwhile
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Classes themselves are not hard but the expectations in France are different and the professors do not help as much. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program director and assistant director were always there to help answer any questions. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Stayed in a host family and loved it. I got to practice speaking and listening more than if I had stayed in an appartment. |
| * Food: |
Getting good French food was a little pricier but there were a lot of cheap good food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I joined different activities and felt welcomed. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I didn't have major health issues. However, I did need health forms signed a couple times by a doctor and it was very easy to do. |
| * Safety: |
Aix was very safe and I never felt like I was in danger when I was in Aix. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
though the program is expensive, we get a lot from it. We have a house in Aix and two Wellesley people who work full time there to help us. Wellesley also gave us bus cards and many different trips around the area. |
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) |
Since I was in a host family, breakfasts and dinners were provided for and Wellesley gave a stipend of 10 euros a day. Markets are also very cheap and offer high quality food if you want to make your own lunch. There were also a lot of cheap food places. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Around 80-90 euros a week when I stayed in Aix. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Make your own market lunches. |
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? | 300 level |
| 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 with a host family, join clubs |
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? | How different the education system is in France. Much more rigid and lecture based and everything just takes a little longer to complete. |
