I learned alot about myself. Past Review
By A student (Roger Williams University) - abroad from 01/10/2012 to 05/05/2012 with
International Studies Institute / ISI Florence
I 100% learned more about myself. I grew so much and matured. It was the best experience ever but I say I wouldn't chose the same program again because there were too many Americans especially from my school. I wish I went to a program that had about 15 kids that I new so I still felt comfortable but could have meet more locals and had a more "typical" experience.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
It was actually harder than I thought it would be. Taking courses that I was not generally used to were extremely challenging. I am a business major and majority of my classes at the Institute were art history. I struggled and I thought the teachers grades way to hard. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were great and extremely helpful but had bad attitudes when it came to use traveling and going out. They said we weren't embracing the italian culture and we all got a nasty email about it. Other than that they were always there to help us. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in Via Gino Capponi. It was extremely far from one of the schools (25 minute walk) and it wasn't the safest area for girls. There was a drug dealer on the corner who constantly harassed us and we lived 2 minutes from the square where the gypsys slept. They were constantly bombarding us and begging us for money. It should be where boys live, however the apartments were very nice and spacious. Things broke constantly however, and getting someone in to fix them took a very long time. We didn't have a kitchen sink for over a week and no laundry facility for about 2 weeks. Fixing items in the apartment should be a priority and should be fixed faster. |
| * Food: |
Amazing, its Italy! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I honestly was a little disappointed with the cultural experience. In Florence everyone speaks English. Even when we tried to speak the italian that we were learning in class, Italians automatically spoke to us in English. Also when we went out, we were always with American students. It would of been cool if we could have a italian roommate or just be embraced with other native students. The Italian girls are mean and the boys are rude. They would touch and speak to us inappropriately. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I'm not sure because personally I had no health issues but a lot of my roommates were sick or got hurt. They were extremely mad because the hospitals didn't have people who spoke very good English. They did find doctors that they could go to but I heard mostly complaints. |
| * Safety: |
It was overall a very safe and friendly city. I never felt threatened or uncomfortable except by the drug dealer who would harass us on the street corner, but we learned a alternative route so we could avoid him. Many students were pick-pocketed or had things stolen but I think it was there fault. If your going to drink you need to be responsible and not take valuable items out with you. We also had problems with using atms. Many students had card theft. |
| 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) |
Personally I had a lot more money than my friends did when it came to spending so I didn't have to really budget. You need to just be smart, if you have a tight budget you can't eat out a lot and if you are going to go to a bar, drink before you go. Florence is a very expensive city but it is manageable if your smart. I wouldn't go abroad though if you didn't have at-least 5500 to spend without paying for textbooks or site fees. Also we wet to school with Uconn, Penn State and Arizona State. All of their tuition's to go to the school were WAYYYYYY less than ours and I don't understand why. We went to the same school and were getting the same tuition's. Uconn even got monthly money send to them. It isn't fair, all schools should pay the same amount. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 100 dollars for food and going out. I spent additional money on shopping etc |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If you go out, buy wine and drink it before you go to a bar. Drinks are so expensive. Also if you get a cell phone, get a plan with unlimited texting. Its a euro a week and super cheap. |
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 |
They encouraged it a lot. Class was pretty intense and we were constantly going out in the street and practicing, doing hw and speaking with other italian students in class. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I spoke spanish all through high school but no Italian at all |
| 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? | Don't be afraid to try it anywhere you go. They really appreciate you trying and for the most part they will understand what you are saying. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
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? | What to pack |
