Florence~ Past Review
By Rebecca L (Art Teacher Education., Illinois State University) for
Lorenzo de' Medici – Florence
YES. I learned so much about the world. It opened my eyes to so many new things! It is impossible to encompass my experience with words.
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. |
It was very traditional. midterm, a paper, and final. The workload was manageable, you just had to make time for it. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
All of the teachers were always willing to help with ANYTHING. It was so nice to be able to count on them for answering questions. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The host school figures everything out for you. All basic living things were provided ( sheets, pots pans silverware, plates, pillows, blankets) Our landlord was very nice, he spoke very little english but was always eager to help us. |
| * Food: |
It would probably be very hard to be a vegetarian in Italy. and for sure hard to be a vegan. Other than that all the food was very fresh! and delicious. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
All the weekend trips provided by the school were amazing. Highly recommend them. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Florence is pretty safe for the most part. The only thing you have to worry about are pickpocketers(watch out theyll get you!), and obviously all the normal city concerns like not walking alone at night etc etc. |
| 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? | You will have to go to the grocery store like every day. Its not a big deal. I probably spent around 15 euro on groceries a week. Bars and clubs are the most expensive thing, so manage wisely |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Make dinner at home. I rarely went out to dinner because it almost always turns out to be 20 euro!!! |
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 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
In Florence most people will speak english to you, but they will always speak italian if you try to speak italian to them. |
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? | Any type of student will benefit. |
