Ti voglio bene Milano Past Review
By A student (Political Science and Government, Villanova University) - abroad from 09/01/2015 to 12/18/2015 with
IES Abroad: Milan - Study Abroad With IES Abroad
My abroad experience gave me the chance to learn more about myself and to discover more about the world. It allowed me to immerse myself in a foreign language and come out being almost fluent. It was by far worthwhile.
Personal Information
| 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. |
Classes at IES were very different then classes taught back home. While I was in Milan I took an art history course and it was a very hands on experience. We often took trips to museums and exhibits to see and experience the art we were learning about, which made it much more interesting then just looking at pictures of it on a powerpoint. The intensive italian part of the program was also very beneficial. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration was very helpful and hands on through out the whole program. Whenever a problem arose they were right there to help and find a solution. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
When I walked into my apartment on the first day it was not what I expected at all. The apartments were all very nice and spacious, which is not something you typically find in Italy. |
| * Food: |
You could never walk more than 5 minutes without finding a place to get gelato or pizza. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Living with an Italian student and in a building with other Italians made it easier to assimilate into the Italian culture because we weren't always surrounded by other Americans. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
My apartment was right next to the US Consulate and never once did I not feel safe in Milan, even walking home in the late hours of the 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) |
Living in another country and wanting to travel always comes with additional costs, but it was a lot less expensive than I had thought it would be. Before I left someone had told me to pick two things that I wanted to spend my money on (i.e. food and travel) and that was a great way to budget myself. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Intermediate Italian |
| 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? | The app duolingo |
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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| 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? |
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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? | I wish that I would've known how great all of the homestay families that IES has are. Often you hear of horror stories related to home stays which scares many people out of them but not one of my friends in the program had a negative experience with their homestay and I wish I could've done one. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
