A life changing experience that I would do over and over again Past Review
By Shannon Gilman (Benedictine College) - abroad from 02/03/2014 to 05/04/2016 with
Benedictine College: Florence - Semester Program in Florence, Italy
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. |
What a great program!! Only thing I wished I would have learned better was Italian, and I do wish we learned a little differently, but still learned a lot! |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
|
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
|
| * Food: |
Loved the food. Wish we had more opportunity to help cook or learn was "authentic" food was as well as where to go. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It's hard to feel integrated when everyone speaks english, but as a class we were able to do a good job! |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I was take very well care of when I had to get health care relating to infection and dehydration. So the 2 times I had to seek out healthcare I was able to easily. |
| * Safety: |
Don't travel alone or walk the streets alone. A friend and I were followed, so make sure to have a plan and option to get help. Otherwise a moderately safe place to be! |
| 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) |
|
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 150 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Save money where you can, but don't miss out on things that you will regret not doing! You have the rest of your life to make and save money. Enjoy your time while you are there:) |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
|
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
|
| 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? | Intermediate |
| 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? | I would definitely study at least the basics before getting to the country:) |
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 |
|
| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
