Firenze expands your horizon and immerses you in culture Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The teacher's approach to the class was unique to the professor and to the course they were teaching. Some were more laid back and chose what to teach about it seemed on the spot. While others had stricter amounts of time to feed the students information in a 2.5 hour class time period.

On-site administration of your program

Housing was decent. It was equipped with large bedrooms, no lounging area, a large dining area and a very small kitchen. The building was nice, but for the amount spent on the program and compared to other student's housing, ours definitely seemed on the less appropriate scale.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Neighborhood safety was not a large issue. The apartment was conveniently downtown next to my favorite sandwich shop and an ATM that does not charge for withdrawals. The rooms came equipped with everything we needed except for vanity items like mirrors, etc. There were many areas to meet Americans and Italians no more than a 10-20 minute walk away.

It was easy to find great restaurants but students are not provided a meal plan, which can be a great way to save money. If students do not know how to cook, they will run out of money quickly buying food.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Events were planned constantly for people to meet other students who are studying in the same area. A student experiences as much as the student chooses to get involved. It is easy to have a great time.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

They city had a feeling of safety unless you were up at an odd hour. There are things to avoid such as political gatherings.

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

I took one semester of Italian before I left for Florence and upon my arrival I went into an intermediate study course. I found most to be review until the end of the year when we were rushed into learning a few new tenses of verbs. Stricter qualifications should be enforced on who is permitted into each course level because most members of my class were on a beginner's level. I learned most Italian through making Italian friends and speaking with them. My friends and I would also speak with each other for fun to teach new verbs they had not learned yet or vocabulary I did not know. Our intermediate class failed to teach any vocabulary, only verb forms and basic verbs. Somewhat disappointing.

Select all that apply

• Apartment

Select all that apply

• Americans

• Location
• Extracurricular events
• Freedom

• Lack of a meal plan
• Cell Phone included would be nice