A great experience and I learned a lot about myself. Past Review
By A student (Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication., Illinois State University) - abroad from 01/30/2013 to 05/18/2013 with
Lorenzo de' Medici – Florence
I loved learning the culture and a lot about myself. It is definitely worth the time if you love to be adventurous and want to learn about the world.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I liked my Italian classes at this school, but my Communication classes were boring and hard to sit through. At times the material was not useful and the teachers most of the time were not properly able to speak English. The Italian department and classes were wonderful and really helped me with the language. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
My adviser was excellent. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I did not like the fact that I had to share an apartment with all Illinois State University students. I wanted exposure to different people and that did not happen. Also, the people in charge of the apartment were helpful and overall I liked the apartment set up. |
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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? |
I did not ever need the heath care, but my friends who did were satisfied. |
| * Safety: |
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| 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) |
I was only prepared because I had friends who studied here and told me how much money to bring. My home institution was not helpful at all. You easily need 5,000 for the entire experience. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 100 Euro |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | No |
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? | Advanced |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | At my home institution at 200 level class |
| 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? | No |
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? | 0 |
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? | Nothing |
