A year in Provence Past Review
By A student (Wellesley College) - abroad from 08/15/2016 to 05/12/2017 with
Wellesley College: Aix-en-Provence - Wellesley-in-Aix
This experience was definitely worthwhile. I knew it was important to me to improve my French to fluency, and that the best way to do that was to practice it every day by going to France for as long as possible. What I was not prepared for was how I would evolve over this year. I can't say everyone will feel the same way as I do after spending a semester or a year abroad, but for me this was an incredibly valuable experience both academically and personally.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The directors were very supportive, always there to help us solve whatever problems arose and understand cultural differences. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Aix-Marseille Université is huge, bureaucratic, and very difficult to navigate if you are foreign. Luckily the WIA program is excellent at dealing with them and making the French university system make sense. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
My lack of integration was the most difficult part of my experience. I think it's easier if you're more outgoing. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had no health problems during my year abroad, so I can't really address this. But I saw two other students have mental and physical health problems dealt with well. |
| * Safety: |
Aix is very safe; I never felt threatened there. One should be more careful in Marseille, which is much bigger, but again - I didn't have any issues there. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
The WIA program just made sense for me, since I'm a Wellesley student. |
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) |
The program's cultural/living stipend helped a lot with expenses, which I had been worried about before coming. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 20-30 euros |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If you want to save money, I think it's important to really consider how much you want that trip to another city or country. I feel like I went to a couple destinations that really weren't that meaningful to me, and I could have used that money differently. |
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? | 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? | FREN 227 at Wellesley, which I'd describe as intermediate-advanced. |
| 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? | Talk to your host family a lot - that's what they're there for. And find an activity you like! |
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? | Whether you meet and befriend French people is up to you. And no one really cares if you don't speak perfect French. |
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! |
