The University for Foreigners in Perugia- full immersion is the way to go Past Review
By Katie H (Advertising., The University of Texas at Austin) for
Arcadia: ISI Perugia - The Umbra Institute
Yes.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The classes at took at L'Universita' per Stranieri included language, grammer, culture, and pronunciation at an intermediate level. The tutoring session at the Umbra Institute was a good complementary course where I was able to ask questions of the tutor and only two other classmates, also in the Umbra program. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
|
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
|
| * Food: |
|
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
My friends and I would have weekly dinners where everyone would make and contribute some type of dish. We had dinner on the weekends with local Italian friends and traveled together as well. I participated in a torchlight procession from one Catholic church to another to celebrate the patron saint of Perugia and went to the celebratory market the next day. I mostly traveled with a local travel agency that hosted many foreign students on its trips. One of the trips I went on with this agency was the Carnivale in Venezia. It was a blur of a day but very exciting and the travel agency had very affordable prices. The Umbra led trip to Mantova was great. I especially enjoyed our bike ride through the small city and tours of old palaces, conducted in Italian. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
|
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
|
Finances
|
* 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) |
|
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Give yourself a travel budget and stick to it. Stay in Italy and explore the surrounding cities. Make lots of day trips to avoid overnight stays in hotels/hostels. Don't buy things you could get in the US for a lower price with the exchange rate. Shop at the discount grocery store if that does not bother you. Take advantage of student travel agencies and the economical trips that they offer to cities like Florence, Rome, etc. Other than those things, try not to stress so much about money that you miss out on unique, extraordinary experiences you may never get the chance to do again. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Intermediate |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I practiced Italian with my roommates who were from all over the world (only one other American among the five of us-which was totally cool). English and Italian was the common language between a few of them, and Italian was the only language shared between one roommate and I. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
|
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
