The Summer That Changed My Life: Two Months in Sicily with CET Past Review
By Tony B (ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE/LETTERS., Brandeis University) for
Italy Study Abroad Reflections: Comprehensive Reviews of Past Programs
Yes. My Italian has greatly improved, as well as my understanding of Italian culture. I have become more interested in studying Italian and want to go back to Catania soon.
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. |
Manageable but challenging workload, fair grading, excellent teachers. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Very helpful coordinators, anything that needed to get done was pretty promptly done. Very well organized trips and outings. My expectations were more than met. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Housing situation was great. Good to live with two Italians. Centrally located apartment. Almost all supplies were provided. |
| * Food: |
Catania has great food that isn't that expensive. Eat in small places and lots of street food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Great experience to Mount Etna and to Palermo. Really interesting outings in Catania, too. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Never had a problem with safety. If there was a problem, it would be fixed pretty quickly. |
| 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) |
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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I practiced with classmates, teachers, and local people. I spoke Italian almost everywhere. The locals' English was average. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live 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? | It's great if you want to learn Italian and spend time in an amazing new place. Someone who is really interested in Italian language and culture would love it. |
