Florence: The best decision I've ever made. Past Review
By Corey R (communications, University of Hartford) for
AIFS: Florence - Richmond in Florence and Internship Program
Yes, I have gained so much from this trip. I now understand certain things, and don't take them for granted now being back in the United States.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I learned a lot, but to have 3 12 page research papers due in 1 day is a lot. Richmond only stayed opened until 6 o'clock pm and was closed on weekends. The internet in my apartment would sometimes not work, and that made it difficult to get some of my research done. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Our apartment was close to Richmond, but far from everything else. We did not have to buy anything for our apartment, except hangers. The apartment was brand new and was completed 2 days before our arrival. |
| * Food: |
wish more restaurants took our meal vouchers. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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 am unsure of how much i spent each month, but total was about 15,000 US dollars. I traveled almost every single weekend. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Watch was your spending money on because 5 euros is not 5 dollars. It took time to understand the money situation |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Before arriving in Florence, we spent 2 weeks in Siena, Italy, where we took a 3 credit italian course. This course was designed to teach us the basics of Italian, so we would be able to communicate in Florence. Many Italians spoke english, so communicating was difficult, but there were times we had to use Italian to find our way around and we would ask people and they would respond in english, if they knew it. |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I would'nt recommend AIFS. I would recommend the program CEA there apartment locations were great. One of the good things about AIFS was that they gave meal vouchers. |
