My Amazing Journey In Florence Past Review
By Katherine K (Elementary And Special Education, Providence College) for
Fairfield University: Florence - Semester or Year in Italy
I am more fully aware of the world and different cultures. I have more of a respect for other cultures, languages, and ways of living.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
If students decided to do all of the work and readings for each class, then the work load would be about the same as at PC. The grading was different from what I was used to because most classes only had 3 grades for the semester: the midterm, final, and a research paper. At PC I am used to more grades. The professors were great. They were very interested in getting us more acquainted with the city of Florence. They were always available to answer questions and were knowledgable about their subjects. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were all very helpful and could not be more friendly. They kept us informed about everything we needed to know and were always prompt about responding to any questions we had. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My apartment building was right in the main piazza in Florence so there was great nightlift right outside the main doors. I always felt safe in the neighborhood. Since Florence is fairly small, nothing was very far away. The only things I needed to buy for the apartment was food and toiletries. All of the cookware and bedding/towels were provided. |
| * Food: |
N/A |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We went to two soccer games, the opera, and on a gelato crawl (visiting a few of the best gelato stands). They were all free. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I almost always felt completely safe in Florence. |
| 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) |
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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I think people should not eat out too much and cook a lot of their meals. It saves a lot of money. They should remember that the euro does better than the dollar so something that is 10 euro is about $13 or $14. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I could practice in class, with the locals, with other students in the program, with the program directors, and with the Italian students who helped out in the Fairfield Program. |
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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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 think this program is for everyone. I strongly recommend this program. I have nothing bad to say about it. I suggest going for the Fall semester because it was amazing being their for the holiday season. |
