Italiamania: Prepare yourself. Past Review
By Dylan P (Renewable Energy, Illinois State University) for
Lorenzo de' Medici – Florence
Yes it was life changing to say the least.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The work load was about right, the grading system was fine, the teaching methods were a bit scattered and could use some focus, not too many differences |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were very organized and helpful but we didnt need to do things like have a pointless mandatory 5 minute meeting with our advisors and write reflective letters to them. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
everything was fine |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
everywhere I went |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Lots of theft not too much violence |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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? | about 40 euro a week plus what you spend in the bar |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | school books, permit of stay |
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? | n/a |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Most people spoke english. The program needed to be more intensive in the beginning of the semester. By the time we were actually able to have somewhat of a conversation in Italian it was time to leave. |
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?
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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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? | Get ready to embrace as much life as possible in 4 short months. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Italian culture through music |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Kate Bolton |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The course was interesting and arranged well but there wasnt enough emphasis placed on the important facts as well as not enough clarity on what was expected for the tests which made it quite difficult. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | no. |
