Perugia, Italy Past Review
By A student (Business Administration, Trinity University) - abroad from 09/01/2013 to 12/13/2013 with
Arcadia: ISI Perugia - The Umbra Institute
Yes
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. |
Most classes are easy, but they aren't lacking resources or anything like that... |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Most people on staff are very nice and helpful (mainly LAURA) |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Nice apartments in the city center, but Italy just has less amenities in general. |
| * Food: |
Since Perugia is a fairly small town there is very little choice or variety. I got tired of Italian food after about 2 weeks and struggled to find much else. |
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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? |
I actually had to go to the hospital for a few days while I was there. In terms of the Umbra staff, they were great. As soon as I went to the school and told them what was wrong they personally drove me to the emergency room. After I was checked into the hospital they continued to be there for me to translate and bring me things from my apartment. I was very lucky to have them, on the other hand I'm not sure how great I think the actual hospital was. Obviously I didn't know what was going on because of the language barrier, but American hospitals are just more sophisticated. |
| * Safety: |
I know there's the whole story about Amanda Knox here, but I felt VERY safe. Guys will sometimes bother you, but never in a harmful way. They just think American girls are easy. Anyway my friend left her phone on a table at a bar on a Saturday night and then went back the next day and got it. Either someone had turned it in or just no one had touched it and the waitstaff had found it and kept it until she returned. |
| 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? | I don't know. Barely any. I only bought groceries and they were cheap. Like 40 euro... |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Buy groceries instead of eating out. Pre-game (with the ridiculously cheap wine) instead of buying drinks. Don't travel as often. |
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 in Italian |
| 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? | Well don't worry about sounding stupid because I worried about that and then never ended up practicing the language... |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | Don't dress casually, wear gloves when getting produce at the grocery store or you get yelled at in Italian... |
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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
