Life Changing Experience Past Review

By (SUNY - College at Oneonta) - abroad from 09/03/2016 to 12/16/2016 with

KEI Abroad in Florence, Italy

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned so much about myself. I grew as a person. I feel like i came back a new person, more of an adult. I learned so much about fashion. I gained professional experience that will help me in the future so much.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? None

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The best learning experience i have received. I learned more about Fashion at IED than I ever thought I would.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Catarina was an amazing on site director. She did everything she could to keep us comfortable and have fun.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Beautiful apartment. I would love to live there again. Eight girls to an apartment was a bit much. I think they should have split it up four and four so we could go to each other apartments to escape our own but it still wasn't bad.

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

The program had us well prepared overall and was there to answer any questions we had. I also loved the school they put us in. I would do it all over again if I could.

Finances

* 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)

Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Save a lot before you go. You can't have too much money. There are always random expenses that come up and you have to be prepared for that. You wouldn't want to miss out on anything if you don't have to.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

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? College level Italian
How many hours per day did you use the language?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
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?
  • School
  • Location
  • On site director
* What could be improved?
  • Less people to an apartment
  • Update pre departure guide
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? How different this experience is from the typical abroad experience. We had much more school and less time to travel, which I was okay with, but some people go abroad to travel and have fun and I think it should be made more clear that this abroad program is more about school than traveling abroad like the students do that attend FUA.

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 Academic or Linguist
You went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you!