The Best Time of My Life Past Review
By Ryan (Pennsylvania State University - University Park / Penn State) - abroad from 08/25/2017 to 12/16/2017 with
Arcadia: ISI Perugia - The Umbra Institute
I am a whole new person. I feel more confident and comfortable with myself, and I now have so many new skills. It was the best decision I ever made.
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. |
The classes were very well balanced between learning and having time to enjoy the time abroad. |
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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? |
The entire town is hills so there isn't really a lot they can do about that. But all the apartments were in the city center and pretty nice. |
| * Food: |
It's Italy. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The program does a great job teaching you everything you need to know to integrate yourself. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Some of my friends had problems and they were all handed great. |
| * Safety: |
I only heard of one person getting pickpocketed in Perugia. The locals say it almost never happens. I felt very safe there. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
The program is amazing and takes care of so much for you. All I had to do was immerse myself in the culture and language. |
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) |
Food is very cheap. If you cook for yourself you could stay under 10 or 15 euro a day easily. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $200 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Cooking at home is cheap, but don't forget to eat out. Italian food is amazing and a lot of my friends regret not eating more of it. |
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 |
Perugia was a great place to learn the language. A lot of the important people spoke english but a lot of shops were only italian. The program really focuses on getting you to a conversational level as fast as they can. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Italian 3 |
| 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? | Buy a lighter and always keep it on you. It's a great way to make Italian friends. Having Italian friends will make learning the language much faster and more fluent. |
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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| 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? | How important it was to make Italian friends |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
