Italy's Best Place to Study Abroad Past Review
By Sammy (Italian Language and Literature., University of Hartford) for
IES Abroad: Siena - IES Abroad Center
Yes it was. I can't put into words what i have gained. it was amazing.
Personal Information
| The term and year this program took place: | Spring 2009 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I wanted nothing more than to learn from the experience and took advantage of it. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The entire staff was friendly and accessible. at times it seemed a little disorganized, but overall good. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I LOVED being close to the piazza and my italian suite mates as well as the american ones were amazing. |
| * Food: |
I was in Italy. End. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
A small city means you befriend locals and frequent the same places. it was really nice. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I felt safe walking home alone at night (though we always tried not to). Other people in other programs have told my friends they were crazy to do that, but Siena was safe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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? | maybe $100 on food each week. depending if you eat out more it will be more. |
Language
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Living with two Italian suite mates definitely helped. It was also helpful that one of them knew a little English. The small city location was great too because you would familiarize yourself with the local shop owners and they would speak with you more and more. |
Other Program Information
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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? | Absolutely. |
