OK Study Abroad... Terrible Long Term Studies Past Review
By Alexandra B (Interior Design., Marist College) - abroad from 02/01/2011 to 05/17/2013 with
Lorenzo de' Medici – Florence
Yes. I think that everyone should always study abroad to gain better perspective on their lives and to become more cultured.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
If you are studying abroad this university does a good job at keeping the work load low to allow for travel... however I was here for more than just one semester and the lack of materials available due to lack of funds, and the low work load helped me to not learn very much. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I almost want to give them 0 stars. Marist has a separate office from other study abroad programs who also use LDM as their school abroad. The program is so new that staff was changed nearly every semester and there was no official director at any time, only interim directors. The students who were there long term knew more about the city and school and office than the people working there. They took ages to respond to any request and were very disorganised. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I really liked that they were able to put me in housing with other students who were also at the school for more than just a semester. The rules were strict, and no one could spend the night to visit you. The prices were very expensive and I ended up finding my own apartment online for half the price. That way I had a private room and didn't have to share. |
| * Food: |
School food is ok, though there is only one small cafeteria. I wish they had more snack vending machines in other buildings besides just the main ones. It was easier for me to just make my own food or buy it someplace else. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I personally felt very integrated as a spoke almost fluent italian by the end of my stay, had italian friends, and lived off campus. I put a low star rating because it's very easy for most people in this program to stick with other americans or mexicans and not want to go outside of their comfort zone. If you want to go to Italy to experience ITALY than this is NOT the program for you. If you want to go to Italy to get away from your parents, drink underage, and not learn anything and stay within your american subculture than this is the program for you. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
They do have a good health plan through HTH which is accepted almost anywhere. They have a school therapist as well but I preferred to find someone on my own who also accepted HTH insurance. |
| * Safety: |
I guess it was fine. |
| 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 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
You don't pay that much less to study abroad than going to a normal university but they offer much less, very overpriced on books and tuition etc. Not to mention the euro is much higher than the dollar so I used about 200-250$ per week for food, travel, transportation, books, clothes, medicine, or anything else i needed, and sometimes needed my parents help. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 200 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | book lots of trips through 3rd party websites which are less expensive and you pay up front and with friends, the more people who go the less expensive it is. don't book through private tour companies as they usually rip you off. Go to any local grocery store and ask for a grocery store card. This gets you cheaper prices when they have discounts which you can't have access to without the card, and you get points on what you buy and get benefits from those points like for instance free bus tickets. |
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 |
The teachers of course encouraged us to use the language but only really in class. You must take your own initiative to speak the language. |
| 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? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Italian Contemporary Literature |
| 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? | Go out of your way to always speak the language. Use it every day! Find a penal or learning partner to practice with. Go to the movies in italian, listen to italian music, embrace the italian culture! |
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? | That this program is a complete joke and none of the money from Marist College gets put into the study abroad program. Also that florence seems to have more international students, primarily british and american, than actual italians. It is not an authentic italian experience. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
