American University (AU)

One helpful website I discovered when I came in and wished I had known from the beginning was: ratemyprofessor.com It helps you choose the classes you'll take and see if it is worth taking because let's just say, it is important to be worth the money!

At the beginning, it is difficult because people don't realize you're an international student. Then, when we get used to listening and speaking, it's easier. We still have the problem with specific expressions and sometimes writing in the local way. But after all, we improve quite quickly. Moreover the host university proposed us English classes: I think it helped us to be more at ease in some situations and gave us a better understanding of the language.

It's better to do the readings on a regular basis. I would choose to do a paper instead of an exam, when possible.

The room was pretty good but the walls are too thin not to let noise get through. We had, I think, almost all we could need to live. Pretty good facilities, near the metro, some shops all around, not far from the main campus...

The language experience was not a problem for me since I started studying English when I was very young. I continued studying academic english at my home university where all my classes where in English. The one thing I learned at American University was slang because that is the king of language you don't learn in school. So, after two years at American, I was perfectly capable of understanding social language. I really liked it because it shapes your communication skills with local students and since I lived on campus and mainly hang out with american students, I felt like a real citizen!