Italy Changed My View on the World. Past Review

By Maggie K (Event Planning, Kansas State University) for

Lorenzo de' Medici – Florence

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

It was all worthwhile. I learned that I was in a bubble, and I needed to open my eyes to different cultures and new ideas. Where I live isn't all there is. I also learned to better my life and how to live happier.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	My workload was light, but I still learned a lot. The teachers were great, but also knew that we were there for experience, and not be overloaded constantly with work. Everything was well balanced.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	The Lorenzo de Medici office was great. They always were available to help when if students had issues. They offered their assistance, and prepared us well for living in a foreign country.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	I loved where I lived, except there was not a full kitchen. (They led us to believe that there was a full kitchen) There was only hot plate, fridge and microwave.
* Food:	Great food of course, but it was hard to get good meats, especially on a budget.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	I learned being over there that Italians aren't that fond of foreigners, (although some of course are). I had 2 trips that were arranged by the company, "Euroadventures.) they are a travel company that sets up trips for students who are studying abroad. They go to countries and hot spots all over Europe.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	I personally did not have safety issues. But, there were pickpocketers, and I knew some girls who got robbed there. Just be careful is the only advice, and be smart with your belongings and always travel in groups.
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)
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	$100 (75 euro) per week spending money. for food and other personal items included.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	the 75 euro did well, it just got more expensive when leaving Florence to travel, so my budget had to move up.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	Yes
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program?	None
Language acquisition improvement?	Bring a pocketbook to use when travelling.
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

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

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Hostel
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Local Students
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Americans

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?	Very good classes Great faculty, and place to be in general Great city, and wonderful people
* What could be improved?	Some of the legal documents could be explained better none Hard to get grades transfered
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	Go abroad, open up your world, and step out of your bubble, and experience the world around you.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Wines of Italy
Course Department:
Instructor:	Donato
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	It was challenging, and had a lot of information to learn. Very fascinating, and I learned so much, I learned to appreciate wines, and how they were made, as well as learn about the Italian culture. Phenomenal teacher. He is very passionate about wines and is overall a great teacher.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Food and Wine Pairing
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Challenging, and learned how to pair wines with different foods, how wine is made, and how to make traditional Italian dishes. We learned by each region in Italy. Teacher is great and taught us a lot about the Italian culture.
Credit Transfer Issues:	Yes, always follow up with your study abroad advisor, and advisor at the school abroad.

Course Name/Rating:	Food of Italy
Course Department:
Instructor:	Gabriel
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	We learned to make traditional Italian foods, going by region. Absolutely wonderful class. I learned so much on basic cooking, and how to make all kinds of fish, pasta, desserts, bread, pizza, sauces, and much much more. The teacher is phenomenal and is very passionate about food.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Event Planning
Course Department:
Instructor:	Michela Mattei
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Very good course, I learned so much not obly about how to coordinate and event, but also about finances, marketing, and advertising involved with event planning. We also planned a school event for Lorenzo de Medici with the fashion department, and the environmental issues class. We planned a fashion show. The teacher is fantastic. She is very approachable if a student has an issue, she always had hands on activities.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Italian Language: Level 1
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Not my favorite, I didn't know any Italian. I was excited to go to that class, but it didn't focus on things I needed to know when I was there. It didn't teach much language that I needed to know to communicate when traveling, and basic conversation. Teacher is very nice, but her English wasn't as good.
Credit Transfer Issues: