Lifechanging to say the least! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The program was incredible! The staff and faculty really took their time to get to know each and every student and made sure we felt welcomed and prepared to experience an authentic and genuinely fun time in Italy. They integrated Italian culture as much as possible into the curriculum which made adjusting to the local environment much smoother. They also were helpful outside of the classroom, whether it was with office hours, personal meetings, or even simple suggestions on things to do outside of school. The program was very well put together, especially for one that had never had as many students before! Every member of the IES Milan campus made it a priority to ensure every student's success in the classroom as well as in the Milanese society. It was all around an amazing experience!

On-site administration of your program

The staff truly cared about every student and made everyone aware of all of the resources available to us from day 1. Although language barrier made communication difficult at times, the professors and faculty did their best to still be transparent and open with students to make sure everyone was on the same page and enjoying their semester abroad.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The location of the apartment was perfect! Within a 15 minute walk away from the heart of the city, so everything was close yet far away enough to where it was always too hectic or loud right outside of our apartment building. The area was very safe and I never had an issue with my living arrangement. If anything, I was pleasantly surprised at how accommodating and well-furnished the place was. The only reason why I took a star off was due to my community assistant who was not always the nicest or most understanding of the differences in our cultures, but for the most part, I really loved my living arrangement.

The local food was great and so was the food we were provided on our school field trips. However, it was pretty difficult going four months without as many options of different cuisines or the lack of certain foods at the grocery markets. Unless you are a die hard fan of italian food, you will definitely run into minor issues during your time abroad, adjusting to the local foods available.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

As an Asian American female, it was very hard for me at times to adjust to the local culture. This had nothing to do with the program itself, but I quickly realized that Italian people had a very limited understanding and lack of exposure to Asian people. This led to many people stereotyping certain characteristics about me and making many false overgeneralized assumptions about me. For the most part, people were open to corrections, but sometimes, people would make very inappropriate comments to me and not even try to understand why I would get upset. Therefore, I did feel at times that I was part of the out-group and that I did not truly fit in.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

The program explained to us how healthcare worked and everything we would have access to during orientation. If anyone ever had to actually go to the hospital, IES made sure they had a community assistant walk with us and translate to the doctors and pharmacists, which was so helpful. Because the doctors spoke little to no english and the prescription drugs were different, having someone who could translate really made all the difference in the world.

I personally felt very safe during my entire time in Milan, but we would occasionally receive emails from the IES staff regarding someone being drugged at a certain club or there would occasionally be stories of men being overly aggressive to foreign females in social settings at night. Always take cautious measures, but don't let that negatively affect your time while abroad, as I never once ran into a safety issue during my time there!

Although I would change a few minor things to change things up a little, I would go back to Milan and repeat this program in a heartbeat if I could. The friends I made during my time there and the instructors I built relationships with truly made my study abroad experience special. I also am a huge fashion and shopping fan, so Milan provided me with inside looks into the fashion industry that I would never have received at my home university here in the United States.

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

Milan is a very expensive place to live and there is so much to do, especially if you enjoy shopping/fashion! It was very difficult for me to manage my expenses wisely.

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

There was an intensive period for the first two weeks which really jumpstarted my journey in learning Italian. That forced me to quickly pick up on small words and phrases that I could actually use in my everyday conversations with local people.

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• Apartment

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• Local Students
• Americans

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• Americans
• International Students

• The people
• The school trips
• The exposure to the fashion industry

• Organization/structure
• More variety in course options
• Uniformity in how community assistants act in the living arrangements

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