Eye Opening Past Review
By Tyler M (Architecture, University of Hartford) - abroad from 08/31/2018 to 12/08/2018 with
International Studies Institute / ISI Florence
The experience gave a broader outlook on the world, I had known very little besides what I heard about from friends and family. However, living in the city showed me more than any story can, seeing people smile when I would try to speak Italian was always a great sight. Best of all however was the social aspect, while I am not usually a very social person in general, my time in Italy helped me break a lot of the habit, it came in part from the social events we were required to partake in for the program and from the social freedoms allowed abroad, late classes and no need to drive anywhere provided me an opportunity to connect with people in a way not possible at my home university, which in part taught me worthwhile lessons. Italy is a great place to learn how to socialize.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The professors at the institute where exceptionally friendly, and professional, any issue that came up the professors were willing to go out of there way to help resolve the issue. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The staff was always on call to help whenever needed, regardless of day or time, whether that issue came from a cancellation of a train or a medical emergency, they were always available. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
While the WiFi may have been questionable at times and the mosquitos were a nuisance during the warm weather, the housing unit itself was beautiful and well taken care of. |
| * Food: |
While no food was provided by the institute, the location of the housing provided us with more than enough options to sustain ourselves. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The mandatory language class assigned to us by the institute provided us with multiple instances to interact with the culture of Italy |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
ISI offered a very wide variety of options for classes, practically all of which were of an interesting subject with there own set of experiences to go with them, I also wish I had gone on a few of the school sponsored trips. |
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? | $100 |
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 |
The class consistently used Italian as the driving force for conversations and they all heavily advised using it in the city. |
| 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? | Italian 1 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
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? | I wish I had known to socialize more with people when I first arrived. Most people are nervous upon arriving to a new country normally which is only amplified when you will be living there with a bunch of strangers, so being able to take that first step and be social goes a long way to making friends while abroad. |
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 Avid AdventurerThe wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal. |
