For junior Rebecca Shlien, living large in Paris didn't involve purchasing Louis Vuitton purses or shopping at Chanel but instead enjoying a soda with her meal.
"Diet Coke was like a luxury to us," said Shlien, who participated in the New York University in Paris study abroad program in the Fall.
She noted that Parisian restaurants charged up to $8 for a single soda.
With the greenback shedding more than 10 percent of its value over the past year, some study-abroad students-especially those in Western Europe-found their priceless experiences cost significantly more than expected.
Junior Mara Herrmann, another NYU in Paris participant from last semester, said she would have probably traveled around in Europe more had the exchange rate been more favorable.
She noted that keeping up with the exchange rate in France was easy because it was a usual topic of conversation among her friends.
"When you asked your parents for money, it would sound like a pretty comfortable amount in dollars, but when you take it out it's actually a lot less in euros," she said.
The situation was not much better for Dukies studying across the English Channel. As the euro continued its steady march toward a $1.50 exchange rate, the United Kingdom's pound sterling touched highs of $2.03.
Sarah Malott, a junior who studied at the University of Glasgow in Scotland last Fall, found her own way of coping as the pound soared higher than ever before.
"I just stopped converting into dollars after the first week because if you think about how much you're spending on tea or a pint, you'll go crazy," she said.
Other study-abroad students, however, found that having the dollar still goes a long way in other parts of the world.
"You could go out and eat at a restaurant for a dollar," recalled junior Katie Noto, who studied abroad in Mali last semester. "For a nice meal, it was more like $3."
Noto, a former Chronicle staff member, also noted that the $5 per day she paid to live in a Malian household was comparable to the wages many workers in the country received.
Despite the dollar's downward spiral against the pound and euro, the Office of Study Abroad has not seen any shift away from European programs toward those in countries with weaker currencies, officials said.
"We try to prevent financial need from impacting the decision to study abroad," Director of Financial Aid Jim Belvin said. "Going abroad is a singular, critical opportunity for students, and we very much want them to take advantage of it."
The Undergraduate Financial Aid Office strives to provide students with aid comparable to what they usually receive at Duke, he added.
The packages for students planning to study away from Duke are based on the most recent cost of attendance figures provided by the student's program, which are assumed to be adjusted for current exchange rates, Belvin said. He added that packages cover an amount up to the cost of a semester at Duke, which in most cases exceeds that of one spent abroad.
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