Best time of my life. Past Review
By Joseph C (Marketing., University of Connecticut) - abroad from 01/16/2012 to 04/13/2012 with
CIMBA: Paderno del Grappa - Undergraduate Program
Very much.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Great classes with very down-to-earth, knowledgeable and skilled professors. Better than most of the classes I've taken at UCONN. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Sometimes the staff couldn't provide answers to certain questions. The Italian staff was generally more knowledgeable than the American staff. Over-all good staff in the front office. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
That particular winter was the coldest in 30 years, so it got a little chilly in the room. That freak weather aside, pretty great rooms. |
| * Food: |
Italian cafeteria food is not as good as Italian restaurant food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Locals compelled to speak English (if they could). That aside, Paderno is not a touristy town, so students are very integrated. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
The nurse on staff was great, but does not speak English. |
| * Safety: |
There is a large gate with a guard, and the town is very isolated and safe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
You spend no money during the week, and everything on travel for the weekend. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Only meals on weekends: between $30-$100 a weekend. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Cheep flights: Ryanair, Wizzair, Easyjet Cheep lodging: booking.com |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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? |
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? | How little people knew about Italian. I speak Italian fluently, and I am the uncommon one extreme, but 99% of the students knew no Italian. You don't need to be fluent, but it really helps to know some. |
