Best experience of my life, I miss it already. Past Review
By A student (Illinois State University) - abroad from 01/30/2012 to 05/10/2012 with
Lorenzo de' Medici – Florence
I became a lot more independent and managing my finances. I became a more well rounded individual. I became more outgoing and made better social skills. I would recommend studying abroad to anyone in college, by far the best experience I have ever had.
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. |
I really enjoyed most of the teachers I had while studying in Italy. They all cared about teaching and making sure you learned. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Our apartment was very nice. A little farther away from others, but was really nice and had everything we needed. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| 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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| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Probably around $100 euro |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Depending on what you like to do spend money on that. I did not go out to eat a ton, but traveled to 10 countries. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 4 years in high school |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Try talking to the locals as much as possible. |
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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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
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? | I felt like I was pretty informed before going abroad, but I also did research on my own. I'd say just look into like what is culturally acceptable and not, especially if you are travelling outside of the country you are studying in. |
