A life changing experience! Past Review
By A student (University of New Hampshire) - abroad from 08/28/2017 to 12/14/2017 with
Academic Studies Abroad: Study Abroad in Florence, Italy
I learned many personal skills, some skills I did not even know I could learn. I learned how to be more independent and find my way around by myself. I learned to adapt to a foreign culture to the best of my ability and the places I went made the whole experience worthwhile.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
It was incredible to be able to take courses at the Florence University of the Arts that directly counted for my classes in my major back at UNH. I loved having the experience to learn about the hospitality management industry from my Italian professors with different perspectives. My work load was never overbearing and the small class sized made it easy to focus. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
ASA provided so many amazing experiences for me while I was studying abroad. There were many resources available to me that helped make Florence my home away from home. Chiara, the program director, was amazing and was extremely helpful to all nine of us on the program on the time. It was nice to share this experience with not only other students from UNH, but with students from different universities and around the world. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It was so important to me to be able to branch out and explore on my own. ASA provided many different excursions for us, with tour guides so every trip with ASA felt special because of the smaller group. We were able to different 3 different cities in Italy as well as many museums and a cooking class! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
There was only one incident where I ever felt unsafe while abroad. ASA and Chiara were extremely supportive and helpful and we were able to move apartments to an area where we felt significantly more safe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I was extremely pleased with my overall experience with ASA. The opportunities I had were unreal and the people I met though the program became life long friends. |
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? | I brought and spent a total of $8000 throughout the trip. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Definitely work the summer or semester before and start saving up! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | none |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | I took an extra class while I was there called Communicating in Italian. We learned just basic communication skills to help us get by easier in our every day lives in Florence. The Italians appreciated when we were at least trying to speak their language and adapting to their culture. |
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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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Relax!!! Everything will be okay :) |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
