Living and Learning in Italy Made my College Experience and Inspired a Lifelong Passion for Travel Past Review
By Jill C (Management, Hope College) for
IES Abroad: Milan - Study Abroad With IES Abroad
I lived in a country where I didn’t know one shred of the language. When I left, learning Italian was my favorite aspect of living in Milan. And it inspired a passion for learning in me again. I learned to survive, and thrive on the other side of the world. I learned I could be happy living in a completely different context than my entire past. I remember what it felt like to feel lost in a major foreign city. I remember what it felt like to feel found as I finished hiking up an entire mountain. Traveling through Milan, through Italy, and around Europe made me want to go everywhere, experience everything, and meet everyone. It’s scary and it’s uncomfortable, but the rewards of delving into another culture are too great to pass up. Italy made me fearless, because what’s the worst that could happen? Italy made my world smaller and the capacity of my mind greater. The end of my semester left me longing for home, but as I walked down Corso Magenta, past the side grocery stores, metro stops, apperitivos, and vespas and up the stairs to il mio apartamento I realized that Milan had become my home, too. For my future plans, unfortunately, studying abroad didn't satisfy an itch, it lit a fire, so i would love to work for an international company.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | universita cattolica del sacro cuore |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Sometimes our Italian professors didn't understand our English questions, but that's just the reality of living and learning in a different country. Teaching methods were pretty similar, with less handouts and worksheets. The workload was different in each class. My sociology class required hours of reading for each class, so much that no one completed all of it. That's similar to America, though. Professor's had fair grading systems, but were often surprised at how much we cared about our grade, but not always the level of learning. Overall, my teachers stimulated my learning interest in more ways than I can even recall. I loved what I was learning. My Italian classes inspired me to learn the language with a passion that I haven't experienced since elementary. My teachers were authentic, enthusiastic, compassionate, and full of character, and fully qualified in their subjects - in a global sense. Courses didn't overload us, but were challenging in that getting As proved difficult. IES Milan did a perfect job of educating us and inspiring us. We didn't get a free pass, but they recognized the fact that the majority of our learning would take place outside of the classroom. We went on several "field trips." |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
As far as housing, appliances often broke and took a long time to be fixed. Administration was very aware of American customs and also very willing to explain Italian customs and enlighten us to what the true Milanese do, believe, and appreciate. I like the size of the program a lot. We had a close community. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I had one Italian roommate, who went out of her way to help us, with technicalities and learning Italian. My location was perfect, only 10 minute walk to class, without having to take the public transportation. Our area was very safe. It was close enough to nightlife. We safely walked home from nightclubs at 3 in the morning. We needed to buy sheets while we were there, but they supplied them at first. My Italian roommate treated me like a close friend and her help was invaluable. |
| * Food: |
Go to China town! Good deals and chinese food. I missed having the option to eat food that wasn't Italian. And there is no free water. Wine is often cheaper than pop. Milan is very expensive, which was a surprise. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The culture and cuisine trip in northern Italy The ski trip to the alps one-day trip to the abbeys of Lombardia |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I needed a few vaccines. The Healthcare was suitable, I didn't use it at all, but I did take my friend to the hospital. IES met us there and helped out. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I changed my eating lifestyle to save money. I spent about 30 euro on groceries a week. about 10 euro at local cafes. and about 20 euro on other entertainment - gelato, nightclubs, etc. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | transportation. the metro costs 20 euro a month. every time you travel transportation will cost more than you plan. eating at restaurants is much more expensive than in America. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| 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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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Whether you're a music, business, or a liberal arts major, IES Milan will fit you. The administration and professors are above par and provide you with resources you don't even realize you need. I would highly recommend IES Milan, my experience was perfect in ways that I couldn't have prepared for or predicted. |
