Florence: Best Place on Earth Past Review
By Jennifer 2 (Business Information Systems, University of Arkansas - Fayetteville) for
AIFS: Florence - Richmond in Florence and Internship Program
Definitely worthwhile! Everyone always told me going abroad would change my life, and it actually did. I found out things about myself that I would have never known otherwise had I not had this experience.
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 think i found my host university easier than my American university because I was not taking any classes for my major. In America, it is pretty challenging, so I loved school abroad. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Exceeded my expectations. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
AIFS arranged housing for us, all the apartments were in great locations. I requested to live with 2 other girls and they made that happen. I did not have to purchase any items for my apartment. |
| * Food: |
I Tarocchi & Gusta Pizza are a MUST. |
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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: |
Florence is very safe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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? | Since we had meal vouchers for food, we did not have to spend money on meals. So everything else was spent at bars, clothing stores, or random things at the grocery store. I probably spent an average of 30 euros a week, if that. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | When traveling, we would go to the grocery store & by food for dinner or to cook in our hostel. If my program did not provide meal vouchers, I would have done this in Florence too. It is a lot cheaper. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | No previous language courses. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
We could practice Italian with our professors, advisors, and other students. We used basic Italian pretty much everyday, but most people spoke at least a little English. |
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? | Do it! |
