Aix-en-Provence: a fun and relaxing program Past Review
By Sarah B (French Language and Literature., Wellesley College) for
Wellesley College: Aix-en-Provence - Wellesley-in-Aix
I loved being abroad, it was fun and provided many opportunities to travel around Europe. The program was well run although the french university was not very challenging. I would say that this program is more about experiencing the french culture and less about academics.
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 french students are unmotivated and do not work very hard. There is very little interaction with the processors. Wellesley does a great job organizing and helping academically. I think that the program is a reflection of the general attitude in southern france; everything is very relaxed and nothing is urgent. People lead very stress-free lives, which is very different than my US college. It was a much needed break for me, and I liked being able to just relax. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The french university was very disorganized. We did not know the dates of our exams until a week or two before them. Even classrooms were unassigned and constantly changing. The classes were not very difficult and required next to no work. There was no homework. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The housing was fantastic. Right in the center of town. It was small but very cute and in one of the ancient buildings in Aix. Everything is provided by the program (sheets, dishware, etc) but if anything was broken it took a very long time to get fixed if at all. The staff was very slow to fix anything but they were very nice. |
| * Food: |
I am a vegan in the US but this is next to impossible in france. I was a vegetarian while I was there, which was still difficult, many french people did not understand but it was doable. There is a market less than 5 minutes from my apartment everyday that has fresh produce and it was fantastic! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The program took us on a lot of trips around France and provided us with tour guides. They also provide us with funds to use for traveling and cultural events. Because the program is not very academically strenuous, there was a lot of time to travel around Europe. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The director provided me with the phone numbers of trusted doctors and it was very easy to arrange appointments. They also provided us with information about how to be reimbursed by our US health insurance. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | We were provided with 500 euros per month. This was more than enough for food and general expenses. I spent most of it on traveling expenses. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | The program reimburses you for most cultural experiences, such as movies, dinners, soccer games, theater, concerts, etc. There were not any inanticipated expenses. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I took a 200 level class, or an intermediate level french class. |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I practiced french in classes and with my roommate and friends. It was necessary to use french everyday, but most people were able to understand english at leas a little if there were any problems communicating in french. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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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