Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Studying Abroad in Florence, Italy. Past Review

By (HISTORY., Colby-Sawyer College) for

AIFS: Florence - Richmond in Florence and Internship Program

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
It was extremely worthwhile. I met a lot of amazing and nice people there and I had so much fun being able to live on my own without having to deal with parents on my back all the time. I enjoyed this program a lot.

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* 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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? I spent about 80 Euros on food each week. We would go out to the super market there and get food and drinks for the week and after everything that would come out to around 50 euro. And then sometimes we would eat lunch and dinner out of the apartment. And everyday before classes I would stop at a cafe and get coffee and something to eat for breakfast. Also, I spent a lot of money on personal expenses. I most likely spent about 50 euros on personal expenses each week.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Everything is extremely expensive in Europe. So be wise on what you spend your money on and where you spend it, because you can walk into a store to go buy a drink or some food and at another store you can find the same things but for cheaper.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Language acquisition improvement?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans