Fun in Florence Past Review
By Shannon M (Elementary/Special Education, Providence College) for
Fairfield University: Florence - Semester or Year in Italy
I learned so much about myself through this experience. I gained so much more knowledge about other countries and felt less ignorant upon my return home. I learned how to be independent and I think it will really help me upon graduation. In terms of cultural awareness, I think this experience will be forever valuable to my future career as a teacher.
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. |
My one problem with this program was that the professors taught many subjects and were not specialized in the areas in which my classes concentrated on. The language barrier proved to be difficult at times and questions on exams were often hard to interrupt. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The on-site administration of the Fairfield program was extremely helpful. The director and the two assistants made themselves available to us in a variety of ways and were able to answer questions about most anything that came up during the semester. They were always willing to talk over a solution and truly made us feel like we had advocates in Italy. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The apartment came fully furnished and I did not need to buy any items to settle in. The apartment was great and needed only small repairs throughout the semester that were promptly taken care of by the housing agency. |
| * Food: |
Everywhere in Italy is absolutely delicious. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The best field trip for me was the trip into Tuscany which included one night in a hotel. We got to visit Perugia, Assissi, San Gimignano, and Siena. The trip was very well organized and I learned so much about Tuscany during the weekend. The trip (and all of the other trips) were included in the price of our program. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The city was much less safe than what I am used to in Providence. However, our program made us fully aware of precautions to take and what to do in case something happened. We were taught what to say in Italian as well as how to call the police. At times I did feel unsafe walking around the city at night but I always made sure to walk with other people. I had no experiences with the healthcare system in Italy. |
| 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 would suggest to make yourself a budget before leaving. With a set amount of money, it is easier to decide what to spend money on or not. I also realized that my priority during the semester was to travel and experience things while traveling. After that, I found myself spending less money on things that weren't my priority, i.e. drinks when people when out at night |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Many people in Florence spoke English but it was often appreciated by the local people when you attempted to speak Italian. I learned mostly grammar skills in my Italian class and I wish it had focused more on practical usage so that I could interact more fluently in everyday events. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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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