UC's Education Abroad Program (EAP) Anyone had experience?

Inquiringmind2 · 07-30-2009, 02:44 PM

My daughter will be a sophomore at UCLA this fall. She would love to study abroad in Paris during the fall of her junior year. She is looking at the UCLA program in Paris as she is considering minoring in French. It is held at a UC Center as opposed to the Sorbonne or other French Institute. You can live with other UC students in a large residence type situation or a home stay if you prefer. My older D has studied abroad in Spain, Ecuador and Chile with programs through her private LAC and I am wondering about the UC program and how it might compare. Does anyone have any personal experience with the UC program?

Inquiringmind2 · 08-07-2009, 12:22 PM

Has no one had experience with this program?

Inquiringmind2 · 08-14-2009, 02:13 PM

bump bump bump

Inquiringmind2 · 09-27-2009, 11:44 AM

Started this thread back in July and have had no replies. Thought I'd bump it up as D is about to apply for the program. Anyone?

rosedust · 09-27-2009, 10:36 PM

It might help for you to ask in this thread since your daughter goes to UCLA -->

University of California - Los Angeles - College Confidential

Or you could target all the UC threads and ask how the UC EAP program is for them. From the EAP students I've talked to they had a great time and learned a lot.

Inquiringmind2 · 10-14-2009, 11:21 AM

Thanks, Rosedust. I had posted this on the UCLA and UC threads originally but was not getting much response so I thought I would try this forum since it is specific to Study Abroad questions. Guess there are not too many UC folks here.

Dionysus58 · 10-14-2009, 12:15 PM

Sorry but what exactly is the point in your daughter going to Paris if she doesn't go to a French university or live with French people? Equally there isn't much point in her minoring in French, she wont get to use it living in a little UC bubble.

poonpoon_lam · 10-15-2009, 06:03 PM

I heard about this before. you should check this out
University of California Education Abroad Program

Inquiringmind2 · 10-24-2009, 10:47 AM

Dionysus58: I think living in Paris and studying there for 5 months would be a wonderful experince for a college student. She plans on living with a French family. She has always been interested in the French language and culture and minoring in French would continue to enrich and broaden her life. Waht do you mean by UC bubble anyway? Being at a UC is as far away from living in a bubble as you can get. If she lives with a French family and daily has to negociate getting to classes and interacting with French people I hardly call that living in a bubble.

Inquiringmind2 · 10-24-2009, 10:49 AM

poonpoon_lam: Thank you, we are both already very familiar with that website. I was hoping to hear some personal experiences. Thank you for your reply.

Dionysus58 · 10-24-2009, 08:17 PM

Living in Paris and studying in French at a French university is what, in my opinion she should do if she is to have the best experience possible. I'm sure she will have a wonderful time whatever she does, but i dont suppose she will meet and befriend many Parisians at a UC centre.

By UC bubble i mean an environment where she will mostly be with other Americans, probably speaking English more than French and not integrating at all. You see it all the time here in London.

somemom · 10-27-2009, 03:12 PM

My DD did a UC EAP via Berkeley, it was great. She was not in any UC American bubble, but was also in an English speaking country. The program was fine, all fees were paid through UC at UC rates.

I would make it clear you expect her not to stay in the American Bubble as that is not the point of study abroad. I would also search the options for a French university to attend or at least ask WHY? a UC center? Is it to teach the courses in English?

Inquiringmind2 · 10-29-2009, 02:08 PM

There are many reasons for her wanting to do this particular program. She is on the quarter system at UCLA so if she goes abroad in the fall it will be for the fall quarter/fall semester. If she were to go on a spring Semester program she would miss 2 quarters at UCLA which would make it more difficult to complete all her major classes. Also she really wants to be in Paris. The Paris fall program only offers classes at the UC center. She would be taking 2 French language classes as well as other French related classes in hisory, art, music, or politics. Thise classes would be in English. There are programs in Lyon and Bordeaux where she would attend a French university but she really wants to be in Paris. The great thing about the EAP UC program is that every class she takes is transferable and will count towards her French minor. Sometimes going abroad with an independent org. makes it more difficult to transfer credits. I am hoping she will be able to chose the option of living with a French family to give her more of an immersion experience.

somemom · 10-30-2009, 02:14 PM

One thing my DD learned in doing her UC EAP, she was thinking about staying all year, but elected not to when she learned that whilst it is GUARANTEED that all classes transfer, that just means they transfer as units, not necessarily units that 'check a box' of a requirement.

When you cannot go until junior year, you have taken most of your GE courses already, so most classes need to fit a major unless you just need units. DD's major will ONLY allow 2 courses to apply to the major, luckily she had left 2 GE requirements to use abroad, but it was an interesting side note detail to the "all units transfer"

DD actually could have stayed for that spring term, but she did not learn that until senior year fall when she realised she could graduate in December (but did not!) and was not willing to take the risk of not having all her credits apply to her degree needs.

Inquiringmind2 · 10-30-2009, 05:38 PM

Somemom: Thank you so much for the info. Since my daughter is minoring in French all four of the classes she will be taken will go towards that. She had to meet with the head of the French dept. at UCLA to approve her class choices. She will be taking 2 language courses and 2 on history, art, politics, french culture, etc. She will have all her GE requirements done (actually will have them done after this coming winter quarter) and only plans to have the classes count towards her minor. None of them will count towards her major. This is another reason for only wanting to go for the fall. Being on the quarter sysyem at UCLA it is important that she be on campus for the winter and spring quarters in order to complete major requirements. I will talk to her to make sure I have this info correct and will mention the info you have given me about units but not classes counting. Thanks again.