Italy, Ups and Downs Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

On-site administration of your program

The people who worked for AIFS were great. They were wicked nice and helpful. They were always willing to listen to us and answer any questions we had, and if they didn't know the answer than they would find it. I also liked how they had preset activities we could do. I wish we had been more involved with the students from the other schools, but towards the end that did start to happen.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The apartment I stayed in wasn't bad. The internet was a big issue however. The speed was very slow and often non existent. I didn't really like the location. It was on the outskirts of Florence so that was nice, but it was a long walk from anywhere. Class was 15min, the train station was half an hour, and the museums and churches we went for class ranged anywhere from 5 minutes to 45 minute walk. I think a more central location would be better. Also it was very inconvenient not having an oven in the apartment. We also only had one frying pan which was a big stir fry pan so that was also a pain. Not having a dryer was alright, but not having enough room to dry out clothes on an issue. We had one drying rack for six people. We ended up hanging our clothes from the balcony in our apartment.

The food was expensive to buy. We pay for a dining plan on campus that is included in our tuition, that should apply no matter where we are. We were given 30 meal vouchers but that was not nearly enough. That isn't even enough for one meal a day. We were forced to buy food to cook which would be fine if it weren't so expensive. Eventually we were given money, but it wasn't nearly enough.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The trip to Siena with the other schools was good because we finally were able to get to know them. We finally were able to intermingle with the students from other schools.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Several bad events took place while were there. One student was mugged and almost raped, another was strangled, and my apartment was broken into while I was home.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

It needs to be more language. Our language class was once a week for two hours and turned into a joke. It did not help at all. The professor was great, but we just did not have enough of the class to learn what we needed. I picked up more on the streets than in class. Most people spoke English within the city, but as soon as I traveled outside of the city there was no English. The grocery store we went to was just outside of the tourist part of Florence so they spoke no English.

Select all that apply

• Apartment

Select all that apply

• Americans