Florence is like Disney World. Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The classes were pretty similar to what I'm used to as far as what is expected of the students. They were a little easier, but I also took all elective classes, so I had fun!

On-site administration of your program

I think the administration did a really good job. A lot of my friends complained about our dean not being very good, but I thought the faculty was fine. The advisers were really caring and helpful.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived in an apartment with 5 other girls. It had 3 bedrooms, a kitchen, dining room, living room, and 2 bathrooms. It was in the PERFECT location. It came with bedding, towels, dishes, a tv, an ironing board, clothes washer, drying rack. We had a full sized fridge which was nice. We ended up getting kicked out of our apartment the last week we were there, because the Jersey Shore cast was moving in to the apartment below ours. But LdM got us a nice place to stay for the last week and compensated us.

Two words: Gusta Pizza. (It's on the other side of the Arno River, just a couple of blocks of walking. My friends and I always got our pizzas to go, since it's so crowded. And we would walk to the Pitti Palace and sit on the big open area there to eat.) Also, Trattoria Marios near the Mercato Centrale has to-die-for bistecca. Split it with someone to save on money, because they're huge!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

We got emails about some really cool things going on in Florence. One of them was a Taste festival, where we got to sample tons of different gourmet food items. There was a chocolate festival in Florence in February which was awesome. There was an MTV concert with Italian artists at Santa Croce one time. There's just always something going on in that town. LdM arranges some cool things, too. I went to a soccer game with LdM. I also went to a chocolate tasting at the school, and a gelato-making at a place near the school.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I brought pepper spray with me, because I was afraid. I never felt like I needed it. Florence is safe as long as you're not walking around alone at night in a back alley. (Duh.) My roommate broke her ankle while we were there. If anything like that happens where you need to go to a doctor, CALL YOUR ADVISOR! They will help you through everything.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

I didn't really learn Italian. Most people spoke English anyway. I lived with Americans, too. So my Italian is still very limited.

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• Apartment

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• Americans

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• Americans