Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Experience of a life time Past Review

By (Northwest Arkansas Community College) - abroad from 06/01/2018 to 07/01/2018 with

NWACC: Study Abroad in Siena

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned how to be independent. Meeting new people is not an easy thing for me but this gave me the chance to become better at that. It was worth it.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? None

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I feel like the days overall were exhausting with 4 hours of Italian straight first thing in the morning so by the time it came to the NWACC course we were all pretty tired. But I still learned a lot and I know that scheduling can be hard.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I did not have any major health issues but I did twist my foot. I went to the local pharmacy and got pain medicine and wraps for it. They were very healthful. One of the employees spoke some English so it was easy to navigate the foreign language on the boxes.

* Safety:

Siena is a very welcoming city and I had no issues. I recommend that you have as much interaction with the locals as possible. This helps with the language and it is fun to know people around the city you can run into.

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

A couple of us plan on going again next year. For the cost of the program it is so worth the experience.

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)

Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Sign up for the program as soon as possible. I didn't join until January so that didn't give me a lot of time to save. But SAVE! Save more than you think you will need because I promise you will want to go out at night with your friends and some other adventures too. An extra optional trip to Cinque Terra was 100 euro but so worth it so just be prepared.

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? None
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Beginner
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? I would practice common phrases like greetings, restaurant exchanges, and numbers. That will give you a good start to what you'll be learning.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Hotel
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • Other
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 10+

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • The place was beautiful.
  • The people. The locals (students and professors) got to know each other so well that we are basically a family.
* What could be improved?
  • I honestly think it couldn't get much better. Not that I can think of unless we could visit more places. However, we would probably need more time for that.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Again the money. Like I said save but overall it was worth it. Be open minded and kind because if you do it will make the experience so much better.

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:

World Civ to 1500
Course Department: HIST
Instructor: Chris Huggard
Instruction Language: English
Comments: I really enjoyed the discussions. We learned a lot of overview but next time I would love to do my own research about the place we traveled for even more information. He was knowledgeable of the content and added interesting facts to keep us engaged.
Credit Transfer Issues: No.