Best choice I've ever made Past Review
By A student (Business Administration, Illinois State University) - abroad from 01/30/2013 to 05/15/2013 with
Lorenzo de' Medici – Florence
What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
It's impossible to use words to describe everything I learned while abroad, but I can do my best. First off, I learned how to live independently and share an apartment with other people. I also became a much more savvy traveler, which will help me a lot in the future. More importantly, I learned a lot about myself and what things I had always taken for granted. It was absolutely worthwhile to get out of my comfort zone and expand my horizons.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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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? |
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| * Food: |
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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) |
It is incredibly expensive to live in the city center of Florence. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $100 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Cook at home as often as possible, but obviously still try to enjoy the local cuisine. Find out where the locals shop and avoid heavy tourist areas. |
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? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | N=ne |
| 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? | Maybe take a Rosetta Stone class or something before because it is really awesome being able to talk to the locals in their native language. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | Teachers in Italy tend to assign projects in the syllabus and then not really say anything about them the rest of the semester. If you don't pay attention to the syllabus, then you will end up swamped with thirty pages of papers to write and only a couple weeks to write them. |
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