Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Ierie Era, Oggi E (Yesterday Was, Today Is) Past Review

By (Providence College) - abroad from 01/22/2012 to 05/12/2012 with

Fairfield University: Florence - Semester or Year in Italy

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Definitely worthwhile, I think I learned a lot about myself and a lot about how I interact with people. I also realized how much I value my own country (not in the overzealous patriot way, but in an appreciative manner).

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

I did an internship and needed to rearrange my schedule which had been selected prior to being offered the internship. FUA has a rule that you can only change one class and since I needed to change two, there were no exceptions. I contacted the registrar as suggested by the Fairfield internship coordinator and in the end was emailed by several administrators whom I had not contacted stating this would be impossible. I felt that Fairfield did little to advocate for me and FUA did not consider that this was an unusual circumstance.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Our apartment was dirty when we moved in and every week there were repairmen because the hot water didn't work (some sensor on the toilet that they claimed to be fixing) our washer machine was broken for the last month we were there. In Jan someone came to close the window in my room that was open and said he didn't have the right tools and never came back. We had faulty internet that was not repaired until our last week there when someone's parent called to complain to their home university who then called Fairfield.

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Fairfield's living and learning program where Italian students live with study abroad students was a wonderful opportunity.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* 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)

* Was housing included in your program cost? Yes
* Was food included in your program cost? No

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

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

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? None
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Beginner
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? none
How many hours per day did you use the language?
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? Often if you walk into a restaurant, store, museum, etc. and begin to speak in Italian, the locals will begin to speak to you in English. Continue the conversation in Italian even if they speak back in English if you really want to practice.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
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?
* What could be improved?
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? more about housing, the questions were answered when we got there but My parents and I would have liked to know more about the housing scenarios. Also the rules about scheduling (which are totally arbitrary and when you have an internship there should be more lenience) should be more clear so that you arrange your schedule practically. It would be helpful to know that the campuses are around the city and it takes more time to get to certain buildings, and other things of that nature.