A Journey Unlike Any Other Past Review
By A student (Northwest Arkansas Community College) - abroad from 05/31/2018 to 07/01/2018 with
NWACC: Study Abroad in Siena
It was completely worthwhile and different from my last experience when I lived on the island of Sicily. This place ( Siena ) is full of so much culture, history, safety and uniqueness that I can’t sum it up in a few words or sentences.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
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 |
For the most part my experience was great with the hotel staff. However, the maids need to knock first before just coming in. The hotel needs to have “ Do Not Disturb “ signs. Also, there are some staff that are rude if you don’t even speak a bit of Italian and they are not shy about saying this to any of us. All points of professionalism goes out of the window quick. Again, my experience was better than the others because I atleast tried and did speak a tad bit more Italian than the others. I don’t think the others tried as much, but at the same time we are here to learn Italian so all of the staff needs to know this. Last, they need to do something about the Argentinian study abroad students that come during our time there. They are incessantly loud beyond reason or necessity. Last, if someone has any “trigger points” from sounds ( like those that have been in combat or even car crashes ) they need not live below anyone because of the sounds made from things, such as chairs scraping on the floor and more. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The rooms were nothing like in the pictures. They are super tiny. My air conditioning was out for the first couple of days and then it barely worked the entire time that I was there, including ratlkingboff the wall at all times of the day and night so I could barely slee and be refreshed for the next day of intensive classes. Barely any rooms had refrigerators ( and some had neither refrigerator nor air conditioning ). My nice size savings account was depleted because I couldn’t save money with having a refrigerator. |
| * Food: |
The hotel food, overall, was not great and not worth the money. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
As long as you went out and tried new places that wasn’t a bar or restaurant integrating - in a sense - was able to be achieved. Some people used Tinder to find new friends, but I wouldn’t suggest this since people have been stalked before. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
No real health care concerns. |
| * Safety: |
Siena is the safest city in all of Italy and I would gladly go back! In fact, I’ve already been planning to do so. Students can walk around without a partner, but I’d only recommend this after they’ve had a few days to get familiar with the basic areas. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I would choose the same program, but make sure to pay extra for my own room and make sure ahead of time that my room has a refrigerator and air conditioning. |
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) |
Not easy |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 300+ |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Yes, bring or buy a cooler in the event the rooms don’t have a refrigerator so you can save money. Many rooms donnit have fridges. |
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? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I’ve studied outside prior to this program for multiple languages over the years. |
| 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? | Babbel, Pronunciator, Pimsleur ( for speaking ), Mango Languages, In 10 Minutes A Day. These are some of the programs I’ve used and currently using. Rosetta Stone is for intermediate language learners. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | 10+ |
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 money was going to be an issue, even if you have saved a nice chunk of money!!!!!! |
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! |
