Italy: Expanded Woman's Creativity and Design Knowledge! Past Review
By Ericka K (Interior Design., Kansas State University) for
Lorenzo de' Medici – Florence
Yes! I loved the art and architecture! It encouraged me to pursue my interior design degree.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The workload was a lot at the end of the semester between final projects and finals. The teaching methods varied between teachers and classes but was easy to adapt too. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
My advisor was not friendly and approachable. I found myself answering my own questions because I did not want to bother her. Most of my teachers were approachable, minus one. They all seemed friendly and were willing to help. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Our neighborhood was not safe and it was further than other classmate's apartment and was scary walking back at night from my class that got done at 8:30. The apartment had started to mold in the corners of the wall by the ceiling by the end of the semester due to construction not being done well. The apartment was freezing cold in the winter. Our landlord seemed to get angry at us if we called about a problem and did not seem to want to help with problems and would complain when we did. |
| * Food: |
It was hard knowing how to make things such as breads, desserts, etc. because they do not have certain things there such as yeast, baking soda or powder, etc. Try different culture's food other than just Italian! The sushi and Mexican food there was incredible! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
We did not live in a good neighborhood. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | around 80 euros |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | It depends on if you travel every weekend. I did not and got to know Florence really well instead and loved it. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | None were taken but I wish I had taken some before. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Almost all the locals spoke English so we did not get to practice the language at all it seemed like. Even when you tried to, the Italians just spoke English back to you majority of the time. |
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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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? | art and design students! absorb everything art related! |
