Would Not Recommend Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I really liked the classes I took while abroad. The professors were very friendly and willing to help if any way you needed. The classes weren't especially difficult, but I feel like I got a great understanding of Italian culture.

On-site administration of your program

I was disappointed in the program itself. They were really disorganized, and I felt like they didn't care to get to know any of the students there. While they did hire good professors, they didn't impress me much otherwise. My apartment was constantly breaking down in various ways throughout the semester, which wasn't always their fault, but they would sometimes blame my roommates and me for the issues; when we arrived, the apartment was dirty, and they told us it was because we hadn't cleaned. They also were very unprofessional when stereotyping some of the students in my program; although I never had any issues with this matter personally, they did inappropriately discuss situations with other students. We were never clearly instructed on things such as what to do if an emergency occurred or how to use the buses in the city, so I never flet completely safe in the city. Although the program did provide to go on trips throughout Italy, the trips themselves were often not planned very well by rushing us through interesting places and drawing out the less exciting stops. Not to mention, before even going abroad, the program would not properly assist me in receiving my visa. Because I was the only student who did not attend Vanderbilt, I had to get mine separately. I spent over a month calling between CET and the Italian consulate because CET wouldn't send a printed letter to the consulate. It was a simple solution, and CET often placed the blame on either myself or the consulate. I finally got my visa on the LAST POSSIBLE DAY before I flew to Italy. It created a ridiculous amount of unnecessary stress. I had studied abroad before this and was frankly often appalled at how this administration chose to run itself, especially when it came to general interest and concern for the participating students.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

We were in the center of Florence, which was very convenient to getting to tourist attractions and classes five minutes away. However, this meant that at night, we could hear any person who walked up and down the street. It honestly didn't even sound like we had a wall or window - the sound prevented me from going to sleep until at least 2 or 3 AM every night, even when I was using ear plugs. I really did not get any good sleep during the semester. Also, throughout the semester, we had no hot water for almost a month, moved in with a previously broken couch that was not replaced for over a month as well as a very dirty apartment (I wiped something off the floor the second day only to find my paper towel had turned black), my roommate broke his bed by sitting on it, our power would go out regularly if we used one burner and the oven at the same time, there was a moldy smell (that we were blamed for) that would sometimes become overwhelming in the apartment, a leak that was "repaired" and then ending up caving in the roof of the gelateria downstairs, various ants and roaches (even though we cleaned and took out the trash every day), and countless other problems. In the end, this brought my roommates and I together, but there were some weeks where our student coordinator had to come over every day to resolve different issues.

I feel like this one is a given! Being in Italy, especially Florence/Tuscany, you're pretty much guaranteed delicious food. You could almost go to any restaurant and have a fabulous meal. We lived about a 10 minute walk from the grocery store, so it was very easy to make meals at home too. But it's definitely part of the experience to eat out as much as possible!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Because we were in the center of the city and there for such a long time, I would interact with locals a lot. However, there are so many American students in Florence that locals would usually only speak English to me (even when I spoke in Italian). CET offered an opportunity to have a language partnet, but they didn't do much to maintain those relationships. I mainly just spent time with the people in my program which was fun but didn't make me really feel like a local.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I got sick during the last week of my program, during exams, and a nearby doctor from the UK helped me out. He was incredibly nice and prescribed me medicine that got me back to normal quickly. Many of my friends also went to him during the semester for various reasons, and we all thought very highly of him. However when I got sick, I asked my program for the name of the doctor and instead got a lecture on the consequences of me potentially missing an exam (even though I wouldn't have been able to sit through it). Once I got the name, had the appointment, and rescheduled my missed exam, everything was fine. We had an international healthcare plan for study abroad students that this doctor accepted, and he had a lot of availability; I called him an hour before I saw him. No vaccines were necessary.

I never felt fully safe in Florence, mainly because the men were so aggressive. This is only because they have a different way of pursuing women, but I was uncomfortable with it. Luckily I was living with three guys, so whenever I left at night, I could take one of them with me. I started the habit after a homeless man flashed me one night when I was walking with a friend to meet up with others; it gave us a scare, but we weren't in serious danger. Several people in my program had their phones stolen at bars or by men who came up to talk to them in the street. These guys are really good at what they do, so always be aware of your belongings, even if the person you're talking to seems really friendly. My mom came to visit and was pickpocketed, but the man gave her phone back asking for money as a reward for "finding" it. As long as you have a good grip on your purse or are very aware of your surroundings (especially in heavy tourist areas), you should be fine.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Spending money in Florence depends on your lifestyle. I wasn't planning on buying a lot of new clothes, purses, or souvenirs, so I saved money in that respect. However because Italy is known for these products, it's okay to splurge occasionally! Some restaurants were pricier, but there are many others ("trattorias") that are affordable (and delicious). I often spent about $25 on groceries each week in addition to eating out once every other day. This wasn't the same for all of my friends, but it's easy to save up if you would like. Also, the program gives you a museum card that gets you into most museums for free, which saves a significant amount of money.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

My program itself only encouraged speaking Italian when they offered to connect us with language partners. However after picking them for us, they didn't do much else. They never really allowed us to practice it in another way (besides in class).

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• Apartment

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• Americans

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• Americans

• Classes/Professors
• Students

• Administration (in DC and Florence)
• Orientation and Safety Instructions
• Activities through the Semester

The Academic or Linguist