Florence is amazing, but don't go with CEA! Past Review
By A student (University of Michigan - Ann Arbor) - abroad from 01/08/2018 to 04/28/2018 with
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Florence, Italy
I learned a lot about Italian art and culture, and was able to travel to so many places I had always dreamed of seeing. My experience living in Florence and traveling Europe was phenomenal and worthwhile, but by the end of the program I was actually afraid to go to school because of the disrespectful and condescending faculty.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The classes are very easy compared to at my home university, but the instructors' organization and lack of professionalism make it difficult to succeed academically here. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration were incredibly rude, condescending, and dismissive of students' concerns. Additionally, they were extremely irresponsible regarding issues of student health and safety. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
CEA apartments are known among students abroad in Florence to be the worst of all the abroad programs' assigned housing. Issues with housing, from bedbugs to broken appliances, go unfixed for weeks on end. |
| * Food: |
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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? |
When ill abroad, a "doctor" was sent to my apartment as is customary. The doctor sent by CEA was very unprofessional and not thorough and proceeded to prescribe me an antibiotic which I had made clear to him I was allergic to. |
| * Safety: |
A student in the program was missing for over twelve hours and not only did CEA do nothing to help, but they also failed to report this incident to the student health and safety staff in the United States. They also insisted that someone had been drugged yet strongly encouraged this student not to get a drug test, though this occurred well within the time in which a drug would be detectable in the student's system. They did this to avoid the expenditure of resources in getting a drug test as well as the responsibility of dealing with a student's problematic drinking should the drug test come out negative. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
My experience with CEA was negative in virtually every regard, with the exception of one professor who was both helpful and supportive of students and seemed to want us to succeed. |
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, travel, and other expenses add up quickly, but it is possible to have a great abroad experience while limiting the amount of money spent. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Cooking at home is much cheaper than eating meals out most of the time, and booking trips as far in advance as possible is a good way to ensure you are getting a good price. |
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 |
In addition to speaking the language in class, we took field trips to markets and places around Florence to practice using the language in a real-life setting. |
| 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? | Italian 1 |
| 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? | Active participation in class is very helpful in gaining a feeling of comfort and confidence in using the language and helps you feel able to speak it to local Italian people as well. |
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? | 0 |
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? | I wish I knew how difficult the CEA Florence staff were going to make my life. Had I known this prior, I definitely would have chosen a different program. Never in my life have I been afraid to attend class as I am here. My friends in the Wells study abroad program are having a great time living in and exploring Florence and are also treated with respect at school as well as given liveable housing situations with hot water and without bedbugs. |
