Tatiana Grechukhina

Tatiana Grechukhina

Major: Microbial Biology

Q&A

What led you to study abroad? Why did you choose your country/program?

Living in Paris has always been my dream. I love French and what is the best way to improve it if not go to France. I also wanted to go to Paris specifically because I wanted to be somewhere where I would be able to easily travel around Europe. I picked my program because it was language intense and I wanted to learn as much French as I could while studying there.

What was the most interesting cultural experience you had abroad?

Living with a host family enabled me to participate in their family and cultural traditions. It also helped me to tremendously improve my language skills.

What was the biggest challenge/concern of your study abroad experience? How did you respond?

There has been some problems with my host family and I had to talk to them as well as the UC Center and they were very helpful and helped me to resolve my issues.

Describe a typical day for you abroad.

I would usually have French class in the morning (Monday-Thursday), I would be free around 1pm-4pm depending on the day of the week. Afterwards, I would usually meet up with my friends, have lunch with them, go sightseeing/go to the movies/meet our new french friends/go out in the evening. I would also travel around Europe on some weekends.

What coursework did you take while abroad? How did courses abroad compare with Berkeley classes?

French 2, French 3, Unbounded Boundaries. I would say that the classes were pretty easy, however, a lot of my classmates did struggle with some of their classes.

What was the most memorable/meaningful aspect of your time abroad?

Making new friends and traveling around Europe almost every weekend.

What impact did studying abroad have on you personally?

I believe that I learned that I have so many different options after I graduate and I shouldn't try to rush and should just take my time to find something I really like doing. I started being more open with people and I believe that studying abroad enabled me to make new connections more easily.

What would you recommend to students considering studying abroad, especially to your country or program?

Do it! It was the best semester in my college career.