Aix is the Wellesley of France Past Review
By A student (Wellesley College) - abroad from 01/02/2018 to 05/10/2018 with
Wellesley College: Aix-en-Provence - Wellesley-in-Aix
I got really good at French and tested out what a life in France would be like.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Overall, very intense and rewarding in terms of French. Also lot's of great career resources and advice in French. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Great, but not perfect. It's not Wellesley levels of rigor and excellence, but still the best I've heard of for a study abroad programming. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Fabulous, I loved my host family + the free bus pass. |
| * Food: |
I was in France, it was great. A lot of cheese and bread. Needless to say I was well fed. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It was pretty great! It did take a bit of time to get really immersed into the culture and the language, but once I did I even made local friends! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
The French health care system is very, very good and affordable for international students. I wish someone in the program (in the orientation in Paris, for example) had told me how it operates. We were given an extensive list of clinics in Aix when we arrived, however - which was great. The only real complaint I have with the French healthcare system is the bureaucracy - which is more of a French cultural difference to get used to than anything else. A consultation to see if I had the flu only cost ~ $25, with only my student ID card; but at the same time I had to sit in the waiting room for two hours before I got to meet with the doctor. I feel as though it was a very good learning experience on how to operate in a foreign country, even down to the details of health care - however I would say that the program should provide the students with more information on how to handle this sort of task on their own. I will say, however, that the therapist I saw in France was not great. I am very used to a certain level of commitment and normality back at Wellesley - so it was a little bit of a shock how difficult it was for me to get on a normalized schedule with the therapist provided for us. She was supposed to check to see if my insurance could transfer over to France, but just never texted me back. I understand that perhaps this too is just a French cultural difference, but we are talking about my mental health here and I was already dealing with the extremely high-stress situation of getting used to a new country and language. Some more compassion for the cultural differences of mental health between the US and France, from both the therapists and program directors would have been appreciated. |
| * Safety: |
Aix is generally very safe overall, however it is also a very large student center with a lot of guillable tourists and study abroad students. I found myself in a couple of unsafe situations that I had to navigate once or twice, such as coming back to my host family after a night out. I suppose this is my fault, but at the same time it would have been nice if the program had invested a little more money into transportation funds. I wanted to blow off steam and grab a glass of wine with the other members of the program, or new French friends, but because I lived so far away and the buses stopped running at 10 p, I would usually have to walk 30 min alone at midnight back, or take a $20 cab I can't afford. I don't have a specific critique or solution here, I just think this is a phenomenon a lot of study abroad students find themselves in and if we are pragmatic that this sort of thing is going to happen during a semester off than we should make sure the students are not going to get themselves into sticky situations. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
The resources that are available through the Wellesley network in France are outstanding - and to be welcomed into that world via the Wellesley-in-Aix program is really a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Wellesley students. |
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) |
I felt like a king to what I normally have in terms of food. However, Aix is very, very expensive which sometimes makes things difficult - but overall the university cafeteria system was outstanding as well. The only thing is that it is a bit tough when some other students, who are more wealthy than I, go on ridiculous trips across Europe every weekend in a way I wasn't able to. I definitely made the most of my time immersing myself in France, but perhaps the program should take into account that a lot of students find themselves in the same situation that I found myself. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | ~ $25-60 depending on the week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Save up a lot of money before you go so you can travel, especially if you do not come from a wealthy family. I worked at a restaurant for two years before I went to France, and it was worth it. ALSO, take advantage of the scholarships given by the Wellesley College Club of France and the Wellesley French Department - they're very generous and compassionate. |
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 |
It was practically forbidden to speak English - though amongst only students you could usually get away with it. |
| 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? | TCF B1 |
| 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? | Make French friends. You learn a language when you learn how to express yourself in that language - and the best way to express yourself is when you're having fun and making jokes with a friend. The French are actually very nice, just find common interests. For me, it was during my favorite class at the French university, where I was the only non-French student, where I made the most friends. I was already very passionate about the subject, so to meet other students (regardless of language) who also loved the subject made learning French a lot more fun. |
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? | Learning a new language, in an immersion setting, is one of the most exhausting, difficult and rewarding things I've ever done. It was so physically and mentally exhausting, and all started exactly ONE WEEK after finals for the previous semester ended. This was frankly my biggest complaint with the program. I was jetlagged, tired and depressed with really no one to talk to. I survived because I had been treating my depression at Wellesley - but for students who aren't, I would be extremely cautious and considerate when applying for this sort of program. While the directors of the program were generally very nice and understanding about jetlag in the Paris orientation session - I ended up missing a lot of the trips because of jetlag/exhaustion/depression. This made me feel worse because (a) I wasn't practicing French and (b) I missed a lot of cool trips in Paris. I am not sure what the solution to this sort of problem is, but I really would advise the program to consider these sorts of issues more seriously because it seems like there are a lot of students at Wellesley and other similar institutions who deal with the same sorts of problems. |
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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
