A month in Florence was a life changing event Past Review

By (finance, California State University - Fullerton) for

Lorenzo de' Medici – Florence

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Self confidence and open mindedness

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The workload was pretty light for a condensed summer program. Both in class and out of class workload were decent and i had adequate time to devote between studying and pleasure. Mthe grading system for the class that i took was fair enough and i indeedearned my grade. The educational system that i was exposed to at lorenzo de' medici was similar to that of the united states for the most part. Lorenzo de' medici is an internationally recognized school where there would be many american students that embrace the culture within school. Ididn't feel much of a difference between the educational system in LDM and that atmy home university.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Ourprogram director was awesome and she was a down to earth person that helped us enjoy every aspect of the program. The overall program was well organized and directors were very reliable. I just wished we would've gone to other excursions or other area of italy like milano, torino and venezia.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The location of the appartment was within a walking distance from school, city center, bars and clubs which made it easier for us to roam around the city. The area was pretty safe too and we had no safety issues.

* Food:

Eat at the local trattoria's and osteria's. Great food and decent prices. My favorite place was il gatto e la volpe and acqua al due. Favorite bar was Astor next to the duomo. Favorite club was Twice.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Trip to cinque terre was the best excursion of the trip. Also the trip of rome was pretty entertaining.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

We didnt have any safet issues throughout our stay in florence. Its pretty safe!

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

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)

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Language acquisition improvement?

I already spoke the language before taking the advanced italian course at LDM so it wasnt hard for me to adapt to the new environmeng. The class definitely helped me build on my previous knowledge of the language and made me more confident interacting with people. I took advantage of every minute in which i could practice the language with the locals andi interaced with them with an outstanding level of fluency that i was the designated talker for my group wherever we went in italy.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • The whole experience
* What could be improved?
  • more excursions
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Responsible people who knowhow to have fun and yet dont go beyon limits. Use common sense.