It was challenging. Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The academics in Ferrara were nothing compared to what I get at middlebury. The university class that I took was completely lecture based and very boring. There was no opportunity for the students to engage with the material in an interesting way. The Middlebury sponsored class was wonderful because Teresa Quarta is a lovely woman. I would highly recommend that Middlebury continues to use her to teach the class.

On-site administration of your program

The Middlebury study abroad agents in Vermont are wonderful and were so helpful, especially Alessandra Capossela. I found that the administration in the host country was quite crappy, specifically the director. In Ferrara we were quite separated from the sede, but they kept us just engaged enough that we didn't really have a whole lot of freedom, specifically during orientation, but not engaged enough that we were provided with fun activities and ways to engage with ferrara.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My apartment cost much more than our guardian angel's and she was living in the city center. Additionally, I had two roommates who were not at all interested in me and treated me like a child. I would highly recommend people in the future to find a living situation when they get there or somehow find a host family.

Ferrara has great food and I enjoyed cooking for myself. I do have dietary issues here in the US (gluten and dairy free) but there I was mostly able to eat gluten. It would have been very challenging with these constraints.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I had some very nice interactions with local people but I did not make any friends or have any long term relationships with italians besides in my internship. There are no clubs or communal activities at the university or in the town which made it impossible to meet people.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I didn't have any experience with health care. I did find my acid reflux medicine in the pharmacy but it caused me a bit of stress.

I generally felt quite safe there, even walking at night but I tried to do it as little as possible. The biking is insane and seems like accidents could be common but I didn't have any issues.

I would not choose italy because I think that it wasn't for me. I love outdoor activities and being active with friends and there was very little of that in Ferrara especially. i also would probably pick a program with a little more structure since that is how i thrive.

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

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

Generally we were encouraged but there was nobody in Ferrara making us do it. Luckily our group was really active in doing it so that gave us something to get out of the program

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• Apartment

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• Other

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• Local Students

• I liked walking on the path next to the city walls
• living with another middlebury student
• Teresa Quarta

• Give more to the students especially in ferrara- more experiences/excursions/dinners/anything
• LESS ORIENTATION- 3 weeks of nothing is way too long
• Have internships settled before we get there?

The Avid Adventurer