Voyage in Venice Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I learned a lot in a short amount of time. I had lots of fun in class and time flew--it felt shorter than four hours. I enjoyed meeting other students from all over the world. Teachers were friendly and fun. There was little homework, so the class was not overwhelmingly rigorous.

On-site administration of your program

Although the school facility was small, it was still a comfortable environment. The administrators were helpful in assigning levels and arranging educational tours around Venice to learn about history and architecture in addition to language.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I was assigned to live with an Italian couple. They were very accomodating--I got my own bedroom, bathroom, and keys. Talking to them helped me improve my Italian. I wish I had gotten more chances to speak with them (they were on vacation for a week and we usually didn't eat meals together). Overall it was a good experience--I was nervous about living with a family but it became more comfortable and they told me I was welcome back in the future.

I found that to eat high-quality food, you must be willing to pay more than 10 euros for a meal. Otherwise it was like eating fast food, which wasn't bad. Restaurants, cafes, and to-go food stores were on every corner of the city. Supermarkets were a good way to buy a lot of food for good prices.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Aside from my host family and teachers, I didn't meet many other Italians. Rather, because the school was international, I got to meet students from all over the world and learn about their cultures. I got to know Italian culture through exploring the city, walking to class, and eating the food, but the overall experience was more multicultural. I did experience Italian culture by watching World Cup matches in cafes, which was interesting and fun!

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

n/a-I didn't not have experience with health care while I was there. No additional vaccines were needed.

The city felt very safe. Most of the shops closed down early, around 8 or 9 p.m., so I thought it was best to be back home by then. I was terrified of being pickpocketed for a long time, especially in the crowded tourist areas, but I eventually relaxed. The only time I felt nervous was when I stayed out late and walked back home, although I was fine. For the best safety, I recommend taking the water taxi's night line during the late hours to avoid walking long distances at night, especially if you're alone. Admittedly I was surprised not to see many police officers around the city. I only saw them in a few larger plazas.

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

I took out a loan to cover travel costs. Money was never a huge issue and I had enough to spend on personal things like train tickets and souvenirs. Food in restaurants was pretty expensive but prices in supermarkets were decent. One of the most expensive things was transportation (water taxi tickets), so I recommend buying a month-long pass for extended stays. It saves money in the long run.

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

The school was an immersion school full of people with different native languages, so we had to use the language in class. Sometimes we also spoke Italian outside of class because we were all learning it and could speak it at a decent level. However, most of the other students spoke some amount of English so we sometimes spoke English outside of class.

Select all that apply

• Host Family
• Apartment

Select all that apply

• Host Family

Select all that apply

• Americans
• International Students

• classes/teachers
• the city and its attractiones
• meeting students from around the world

• more help getting to school the first day (I got lost)
• more information on how grades transfer
• a little more speaking practice in class

The Academic or Linguist