Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

It was the most growing and dream-like experience of my life. 10/10 September 05, 2023

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 02/04/2023 to 06/15/2023 with

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Florence

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned so much about myself and I was able to grow mentally and emotionally. Living in another country and immersing myself in their lifestyle was very worthwhile.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The resources for a STEM tutor were more limited in my case as it took weeks before I got a tutor for my UniFi course.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The administration was so kind and helpful. They were there for me when I was sick and did not know who to go to, and to help me find a course at the UniFi that would satisfy Middlebury's requirements.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I never had breakfast because I never knew when my host family had breakfast as we never talked about it, but other than that, the family was very kind and gave me very helpful information when I first arrived. They always looked out for me and I felt like I was treated as one of their own.

* Food:

The food was delicious! There were home cooked meals and, when the family was out of town, they would leave me food to heat up for that time period.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Healthcare was easily available and accessible for me. I was able to find healthcare providers so close to me that were covered by the insurance.

* Safety:

I would feel safe walking home at night and never encountered any safety-related incidents.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

I loved the city, I loved living close to the sede and I loved that the sede was in the program city I chose. I loved the friends I made and everyone I was with.

Finances

* 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)

It was not very easy to live on a student budget as personal expenses that including some traveling and places to eat/fun excursion places were more expensive than others.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

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

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Advanced
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? I had completed Italian 252
How many hours per day did you use the language?
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? Talk to everyone you meet in the respective language, even if they start talking to you in english, reply in the language telling them "I want to better my speaking abilities, so I would appreciate it if we can have this conversation in ____"

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
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?
  • The people
  • The food
  • The beaches
* What could be improved?
  • Housing costs
  • Housing options
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I knew to get a phone service or a virtual SIM card that works internationally as I had no signal the day I arrived, so I could not contact my host family when I got to their house.

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 Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Stilistica
Course Department:
Instructor: Professoressa Carloni
Instruction Language: Italian
Comments: The course was good, except I felt like I learned more from the grammar courses here at Middlebury than I did in the grammar course abroad.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Cibo nell'arte
Course Department:
Instructor: Professoressa Malaguzzi
Instruction Language:
Comments: The course was so fun and I learned so much about the culture in Florence and Italy as a whole.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Storia dell'Economia
Course Department:
Instructor: Professore Mancini
Instruction Language:
Comments: I loved reading through the history of Italy and the excursions we did for class helped tie everything together and see the effects of what we were learning in person.
Credit Transfer Issues: