Milan: The Choice of A Lifetime Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

There's really only two weeks of grading, midterm week and finals week. Besides those two weeks, school is very relaxed. The teachers don't assign much homework as I think they know you are there to explore the city. I'm also used to a lot of work at Emory so that had something to do with it. I took five classes as well and I never felt overwhelmed.

On-site administration of your program

I feel that because Milan is a bit of an atypical choice for students choosing to go abroad, the staff at the IES center really care a lot about the students' experiences. Roberto, the Director of the program, was incredible. He is a internationally recognized composer and has connections all over the city that allowed us to see things most foreign exchange students never see. Walter was also great (and a musician too). He really went out of his way to get to know everyone and you would always see a smile on his face. Luca, who is the Academic Dean, provides you honest, straightforward advice and he really helps provide you with the best educational experience possible.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The Collegio is a fifteen minute subway ride for the IES center. It's at the Famagosta metro stop, which is the out edge of the city of Milan. While Famagosta isn't the prettiest, you'll learn to love living in a real residential area and get used to recognizing the same faces. I also recommend going for runs/walks around the area and you'll see all the different parks residential areas. Be warned: there is virtually no shopping or restaurants immediately near the Collegio, that its only downfall. There is also a gym in the Collegio, which you won't get anywhere else in Milan (too expensive).

It's dorm food, but there is pasta at every meal. The food at Cattolica is quiet amazing actually. I recommend going there (and its cheap)!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I'm just going to a list bunch because there were too many 1)Going to a champions leage game at the San Siro 2)Any night out in the Navigli (you'll see) 3) Going to La Scala 4) Going to the top of the Duomo 5) Going to Mediaset's headquarters and being part of a live TV audience as part of my marketing class 6) Attending fashion week 7) The cuisine field trip in Tuscany 8) The ski trip at La Thuille. This was really epic

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Crime is virtually non-existent in Milan. I needed no specific vaccines and if kids were ever sick, there was a doctor in my dorm to take care of us.

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

Live in the Collegio, it's an international honors student dorm where most of the students are Italian. This forced me to practice my Italian every day while also helping me build relationships that ultimately proved to be my favorite thing about being abroad. There is no substitute for being forced to speak the language every day and while most of the students spoke English, I purposely tried to only speak Italian and the results were remarkable.

Select all that apply

• Dorm

Select all that apply

• International Students

• The endless opportunities to interact with fellow Italian students
• My fellow IES students and the excellent staff
• The IES facilities and location (great for music)

• The food in the dorm