Florence: Forever part of my story Past Review
By Courtney S (Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication., Illinois State University) for
Lorenzo de' Medici – Florence
Like the cliche I chose above, at first I was a tourist and saw what i expected in my head before I came, but later I became the traveler, I learned to see the negative and positive, the reality of a city, and the daily life in another country. It taught me so much about the world, it opened my mind. It has made me more restless and hungry for more travel and more experiences out of America. The only negative is that I am now unhappy here and cant wait to get back to the world outside of Illinois.
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. |
I have never enjoyed learning so much in my life. It was so much more enjoyable than school in the U.S. The teachers made the class about the student, instead of lecturing, the teachers incorporated the classes into the students lives and the city. Each class taught me something about myself and about life, and that is really what learning is about. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
My roommates and I had a few problems with our landlord and they were sure to contact us and let us know what was going on and what we needed to do. It was a little hard to get things done with them because we had to go through so many people and our landlord did not speak English. But all together my expectations were met and they were helpful and seemed to care a lot about our safety and that our experience was the best it could be. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My apartment was in a great spot on a piazza, right on a street with some of the best nightlife and by Santa Croce. It was a nice walk to class and you had to walk by the Duomo so it was an enjoyable walk. Our landlord was a very hard to communicate with which made the housing situation stressful at times when we needed help. |
| * Food: |
|
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The field trips were so much fun, some of the best times we had, and I loved how isu had the trips included, it got all of the isu students bonded. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
I felt very safe there, not once was i feeling like i was in danger. |
| 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? | maybe 100 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | You will end up spending much more than planned, especially in Florence, the shopping is impossible to avoid. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I took a full year of Italian before I went. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
|
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I mainly practiced with my teacher and the students in the class, and some of my italian friends, but most people in Florence spoke English and didnt want to hear me try to speak Italian so it was hard to learn the language where you could speak it well. |
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 |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Just soak it in, and if you can stay there for a year. A student that is open to the experience, you have to be open, that's all. |
