fall in love with Florence Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

big differences in the educational system. teachers kind of expected us just know what they were talking about. it was hard asking questions, sometimes they wouldnt understand the question so it would just go unanswered. my classes were very interesting and useful to my major but i didnt enjoy them as much as i would have liked. the work load was decent but for an abroad experience, it was a bit much just because when i wanted to be out exploring and experiencing florence, i was bogged down with readings, papers, and course work. it was just too bad at the end when it finally got warm and beautiful out, i had a lot of long papers and finals work that i had to bury myself in

On-site administration of your program

I wasnt a huge fan of the program. it was huge so it didnt have a very connected feel. i felt that they didnt do much for us to meet the other students, we were on our own. I would have liked to try a different program, i felt like mine wasnt that organized and i had quite a few problems with it.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My location was great. my apartment was in close walking distance to the arno river as well as the duomo, which i could see the top of the dome from my window. all the nightlife was around us, including bars, clubs and lounges. there was a pretty decent grocery store down the street and a market a few blocks away. my favorite part was the santa croce piazza and church one block away. it was a bit of a walk to class which got annoying if i was running late but once i figured it all out, it was fine. the neighborhood was the greatest compare to the main neighborhoods of florence but it was by no way bad. my apartment on the other hand wasnt what i expected. it was all tile and plaster walls which made it cold, uncomfortable and damp. we had mold in the beginning and all of my roommates and i got extremely sick from the dampness in the apartment. it did come with sheets and cooking things as well as silverware plates and cups.

food in italy is amazing hands down. unfortunately florence is quite expensive and the euro to dollar conversion rate did not favor the dollar. I didnt get to eat out as much as i liked but when i did it was of course amazing. my roommates and i frequented this one deli we found on our first day in italy. It was called S______ Verdi. we never called it that, just Pino's because that was the man who ran the deli and made the most delicious paninis in the world. he helped us with our italian and gave us advice on where to go in florence. It is on Via Giuseppe Verdi, if your facing the santa croce church, one and half blocks down across from a small bookstore/library.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Florence is just such an beautifully amazing city, i just couldnt get enough of it. A great experience for the spring is carnival. i went to viarregio and venice for it it they were wonderful days and weekends.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I felt really safe in florence. i had the obvious precautions of an abroad student in a different country but i definitely felt safer than i thought i would. for health care there was a walk in clinic that would give you medicine and such if you were sick. the antibiotics and medicines were cheap which was nice.

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

most people spoke english and rather you speak english to them so i didnt really get completely immersed in the language but then again practicing it twice a week in class helped and also people i became friends with from the US as well as italians i became friends with helped me practice and learn the language

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• Apartment

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• Americans