An amazing study abroad experience in Italy! Past Review
By Alex M (eco-fi, Bentley University) for
Lorenzo de' Medici – Florence
It was the best experience of my life. It just teaches you so much about yourself. Living on your own in a country that is foreign to you and speaks a different language allows you to mature as a person and really grow up.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I loved everything about how the classes went at school. The workload was very manageable and it seemed like they understood a lot of people wanted to travel and kept the workload in mind. Classes were one day per week which also allowed a lot of free time outside of school which was perfect. The only real difference in the host university and home university would be how there was more emphasis on few deliverables (like tests and one project) then having constant work assigned. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Program administration was absolutely awesome. They had events outside of class for us to go to which were all very fun. They were very easy to talk to and would meet up outside of the classroom as well. Obviously very knowledgable about the city and europe in general so it was nice to have a couple of opinions of places when thinking about traveling. Couldnt have asked for a better staff. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
We were on Via sistina. The location was a 10 out of 10 compared to our classmates. They were all on the outskirts of the city and we were right in the middle. It was perfect for getting around the city and going out. The living space wasnt too great though. Small kitchen and bathroom and just small in general. But being in another country obviously you want to get out and check out the city so id much rather take the location over the better living spaces that the outskirt apartments provided. |
| * Food: |
Italy has the best food in the world. Not opinion, thats a fact. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Like i said earlier, the university had some events arranged for us that were awesome. They brought us on some tours, wine tasting, dinner, or just going out to a couple of apertivos. I never made a field trip out of the city to places like pompeii they set up but the ones in the city i went to were a lot of fun. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I felt safe throughout my time there. I didnt hear of any real problems with this. My buddy broke his hand and our program admin brought him to the hospital to get it treated which was nice to think about i guess. |
| 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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Language
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Take the opportunity to take everything in. Eat out, socialize with the locals, dont waste time hanging in the apartment, do as much as possible. And if you are able to with your budget, travel europe. Italy is pretty centralized so its pretty easy to travel. I traveled 10 days after the semester was over which was also a good idea and i recommend doing |
