Amazing people, culture and landscape. Past Review
By aubrey (Johnson & Wales University) - abroad from 06/02/2018 to 06/29/2018 with
JWU: Summer on the Italian Coast: Hospitality Operations Management
I gained a better understanding about how people live in other places and how culture shapes things we do everyday.
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. |
I loved this trip it was amazing. This was my first time over seas and all the places we visited were beautiful and I learned so much. I am so thankful to both Johnson & Wales and Sant Anna for this adventure. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The staff provided by both my home university and Sant Anna were super helpful and very kind. They provided and safe space to learn and play while teaching us so much about the culture we found our selves in. I couldn't have asked for better teachers. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My living arrangements were okay. The hostel was great and had everything we needed. |
| * Food: |
The first few meals were a miss, because they weren't able to put out good food. However the last two week we had some of the best food that Sant Anna could organize for us and I want to thank all of them for their dedicating and hard work. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The local people were so kind they spoke english enough to help us and they were all so willing to help us learn italian along the way. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I knew a bit about the Italian medication before coming here and I was able to help out many student who did not feel well. |
| * Safety: |
Sorrento is a beautiful place to explore and I felt very safe going to school and during our adventures around Sorrento. Sant Anna did a great job making sure we had transportation to and from all our class trips which totally reduced stress and it was awesome. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
As this was my first time out of the USA, I would not have changed a thing this was amazing, the county is stunning and the ancient cities are well worth the time we spent looking at them and more. |
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) |
If you know that you will need to buy snack and things like that you can live easily on 100 euros a week. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | probably about 200 euros on snack and extra food. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Don't buy everything you see and wait to buy stuff you know you can get later. |
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 |
We learned to greet people during our day to day adventures and it was great. We also learned how to order food and drinks and to ask general questions. |
| 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? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I did 8 years of french but not enough to get by and no italian at all. The only thing that helped was the year of latin I took in school which was super helpful in understanding the base of many of the words in the Italian language. |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | Not much |
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. |
