Beautiful city, little to no support from Middlebury program. Past Review
By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 09/06/2017 to 01/31/2018 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Ferrara
I learned how to live by myself and take care of myself, as well as how to navigate learning a new city in which I do not speak the dominant language.
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. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Healthcare provided by the program was not effective at all. No doctors in Ferrara accepted the insurance. |
| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
It's worth it for the city, but the program is underdeveloped and understaffed. Needs a lot of work, but it's worth it if you commit to it. Definitely better if you do an internship. |
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) |
Relatively easy to maintain, especially when cooking for yourself. Going out to eat can be expensive, but groceries/produce are very cheap. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 200 |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 200 level |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
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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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | That Middlebury organizzed few (barely any) helpful/interesting programs for orientation and during the semester. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Sociologia dell'Arte |
| Course Department: | Dipartimento degli Studi Umanistici |
| Instructor: | Maria Antonietta Trasforini |
| Instruction Language: | Italian |
| Comments: | Not particularly challenging, but the professor was very helpful and answered all questions well. She took extra time to make sure the non-native speakers in the class were always following along. Only assessment was final exam (written for those who attended class, oral for those who did not). Lots of reading but always helpful and always interesting. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Il Neorealismo in Italia |
| Course Department: | Middlebury Schools Abroad |
| Instructor: | Teresa Quarta |
| Instruction Language: | Italian |
| Comments: | Interesting and very helpful. Small writing assignments plus midterm exam and final paper. |
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