An Irreplaceable Experience Past Review
By Audra F (Music Education, Illinois State University) for
Lorenzo de' Medici – Florence
It was most definitely worthwhile, and I now feel that I have the self confidence to do this again in the future and I feel that I can justify my independence to others by pointing out the fact that I have studied abroad. I will definitely be looking for another travel abroad opportunity in the near future.
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. |
The workload was honestly a little too much for such a short period of time, but I only experienced that with one of my classes. I did not have much time during the week to explore the city in which I was studying. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Faculty were always eager to help and quick to respond, however, there were occasional minor miscommunications due to the fact that English was their second language. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The apartment was beautiful, in a great location, and very clean. The landlord was quick to solve an issue that we had with our shower and was quick to answer any questions. We always felt safe in our apartment and although our interactions with neighbors was very limited, the neighbors were very considerate and respectful. |
| * Food: |
Food is expensive, but if you can find some small eateries, they are less expensive. Also, if you go to a bar or any small restaurant, you can save money by taking your food to go or eating it at the counter rather than getting a table. If you get a table, you usually have to pay a 1 or 2 euro cover charge that covers the tip. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
There are travel agencies that plan day trips and weekend trips for foreign students. Take advantage of them!! They are reasonably priced and they take you to some of the best places and festivals in the area. Make sure that you do a little bit of research, though, to make sure that it is a reliable company! Also, make sure to experience the night life a little bit. Florence, for example, have a lovely nightlife with a lot of events going on, and I never felt unsafe. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The city I was in is really a very safe city, but you still need to use common sense when walking around at night. Always travel with someone at night and make sure that you know the emergency numbers for the country as well as how to ask for help in the local language. It is also helpful to have the phone number for the taxi service on hand! |
| 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? | When buying food at the market, I was able to get by on about 20-30 euro per week for food, but when dining out, expect to pay an average of 5 euro per meal if you are dining somewhat economically. Souvenirs are a completely different story, though. You can find souvenirs for all prices. It just depends on what you are interested in buying. Don't be afraid to haggle! |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Make sure you budget for textbooks! I wish I had known that I would need about 75 euro for my books. Some students had to pay much more than that, though. |
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? | Second semester of Italian out of four possible semesters |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I was able to practice the language at the market and with local people, but most people also spoke English very well. I was able to use the language everyday, and I enjoyed my language class because it was taught nearly 100% in the language we were learning. There were also language tutors available. In the smaller towns, not everyone spoke English, but there was still not a huge language barrier. |
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? | Get out there and create the most unique experiences that you can! The program is almost entirely American students, but you can still experience Italian culture in a very rich environment. You just have to dig around a little bit! |
