i love Italy and I want to move back!! Past Review
By Molly c (Communication and Media Studies., Illinois State University) for
Lorenzo de' Medici – Florence
YES YES YES. I am so much more aware of myself and I loved every minute of it.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
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 |
my advisor in my program was very easy to reach. very small classes which was nice but different. i did not really like the attendance rule because of traveling but I can see why they had it. They were also pretty disorganized with the schedule of classes when there was a holiday. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in Piazza dei Ciompi and I loved it. it was slightly an inconvenient walk to the train and to class but it was a pretty walk so i did not mind most of the time. I loved the area and the apartment was really nice and modern and comfortable. |
| * Food: |
the food in Italy is amazing |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
loved our school field trip to the Almalfi Coast and around Tuscany. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
anyone that i knew that got sick was given treatment right away. they also were very efficient in moving some people when they had bed bugs. i felt very safe in florence and never felt that i was in danger or anything. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | probably around 50-200 euro a week not including any traveling. in my apartment, we traded off getting groceries every time but our kitchen was very small and there was 4 of us so food went really quick. i almost think that eating out like grabbing a pizza or panino would have been cheaper most of the time. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | traveling is expensive so if you are planing on traveling a lot then make sure you plan to have the money for it and know what you are getting for your money if you go with travel companies. most of the time food is not included and that adds up. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
my roommates and some family that I have in Florence. I used the language pretty much everyday, but a lot of people speak english. |
| 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?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | someone open minded, willing to learn and adapt, independent, and someone wanting to experience another lifestyle is perfect for this program. |
