Past Review
By Alexander C (Political Science and Government., Providence College) for
Fairfield University: Florence - Semester or Year in Italy
The best experience of my life. You fall in love with the city and environment and miss it greatly when you are home. Met incredible people and tons of new friends. A great city to study in due to its smaller size yet still with an incredible amount of art, history, and places to see. Being able to walk everywhere you would want to go is crucial and was a huge part of my experience. I learned lots about myself and Europe in general. I almost didn't go, which would have been the biggest mistake of my life.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Florence University of the Arts |
| The term and year this program took place: | Fall 2009 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Class once for 2.5 hours a week was great system, worked well for me, taking classes like this at Providence. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Great accessibility, great understanding of what students would experience. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Incredible and huge apartment (35 Via De Pilastri). 3 bathrooms, huge living room, and a great courtyard. <br /><br /> Great location, outside touristy areas yet sill within 5 minute walk of both the Duomo and Santa Croce. School only 8-10 minutes away. Supermarket (la Standa) is only 5 minutes away. |
| * Food: |
Eating out is incredible with a wide range of restaurant prices. Supermarket had good range at good prices. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The Fairfield program had great students and a friendly and very social environment. Field trips and weekend trips around Tuscany were incredible. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Florence is a safe city, yet one must still remain alert and use the buddy system when out late at night. |
| 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? | Be careful of cell phone/internet bills. Stay on top of being efficient with these expenses. Use skype! |
Language
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Having the language is crucial for cultural interaction. I wish I had prepared with supplemental courses before I had arrived. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Great program, great social environment, great students. Orientation trips are incredible and give you a great introduction to Tuscany and your peers. Helpful administrators and smooth running program. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
International Relations |
| Course Department: | Political Science LA PS IR 310 101 |
| Instructor: | Sara Lagi |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Great professor, passionate, organized, good power points (you will take lots of good notes). Great classroom discussion, its a huge part of the course. 3 debate style cases during the semester where incredible. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | no |
