Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Life changing and unbelievable Past Review

By (Benedictine College) - abroad from 01/05/2015 to 05/17/2015 with

Benedictine College: Florence - Semester Program in Florence, Italy

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
See the above answer, definitely worth while.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I learned more about life and cultures and important values and realities this semester than any other.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Peatro is from God but staff was stealing

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Amazing place

* Food:

Better than caf

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

We were in small town outside Florence traveling and eating with locals on the bus, it was awesome

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

Very friendly place

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Just the best learned so much, lived so differently, experienced so much new, and learned a lot about life management skills as well, this semester probably better prepared me for med school than any other

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)

Hahaha I didn't try to that semester

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 6000
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Don't save any money, do as much as you can while you were there, don't think I'll have another opportunity like that and I'm glad I wasn't pinching pennie.

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

I did learn a good amount but you can only learn so much in a semester. Great teachers

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
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? Just learn the basics, more complex sentences will pick up

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Other
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
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?
  • The time I had available to travel
  • How helpful the villa was to get us traveling
  • The villa seemed to understand the strength of their program, not book learning, life learning
* What could be improved?
  • Not much
  • Sometimes the food was a miss
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I'm very very glad i packed light and saved up some money to travel on the weekends!

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 Avid Adventurer
The wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal.