A Challenge Worth Accepting Past Review
By karisa.garner.3 (Baylor University) - abroad from 09/03/2014 to 12/20/2014 with
SAI Study Abroad: Siena - Siena Italian Studies (SIS)
I learned that sometimes things will not go your way, but you need to look at the bigger picture.
Review Photos
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. |
I was challenged daily and my Italian professors guided us well through the gentle full immersion. My proficiency especially grew within my household as I had conversations daily with my host family and they made sure to use language that would challenge me but was appropriate for my level of proficiency. |
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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? |
My host family was amazing. However, I was very very lucky. my friends families were great for the most part too. But my family was exceptional. |
| * Food: |
I was in Italy. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Siena is very small and has an incredibly rich culture. Most residents are involved in the community through the Palio, so the Palio and contrada representations are everywhere. This will force you to learn about the city, because it is all around you. There is also little english, nothing like a bigger city like Roma or Firenze has. It's nice because you can't run away from the culture. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I was having toothaches and a staff member contacted an english speaking dentist and drove me to his office. The healthcare is free so I only needed to sign a piece of paper and pay 50 euros flat for my care/visit. |
| * Safety: |
Siena is likely the safest city in Italy. This is due to the tradition of the city. It has a very tight-knit culture so it is hard for people to arrive and assimilate and it is also apparently very hard for the Senese to leave. There is little homelessness/few beggars within the city walls. I can count 3 that I saw the entire time. It is also a very relaxed city. However, because of this I was a little too naive to go to Firenze where I got my bag stolen. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
I paid my home universities tuition which made this experience incredibly easy because all financial aid i used previous semesters all applied. I applied for two scholarships specifically for studying abroad, SAI Programs and Gilman International Scholarship. These are how I paid for excursions, going out, and my plane ticket. I was able togo out for drinks a couple of nights a week, travel to the Almafi Coast, Verona, Milan, England for 10 days, and Norway for 6. My housing included 3 meals a day 7 days a week, and if my family was gone they would still prepare a hot meal for me. It was very easy to live on that budget. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | around 100 (not including my excursions) |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If you're going to drink, buy bottles of wine during the day from the grocery store and drink in the Campo before you go "out". This will save bundles. If you have to take cabs, split them with a friend that lives in your area. I fyou think you may need snacks everyday before dinner (because dinners usually run pretty late) go to the grocery store and buy something like a bag of chips and plastic baggies or fruit instead of getting pizza in the city everyday. |
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? | Intermediate 2000 level course (4 semesters) |
| 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? | Watch foreign films/shows with the subtitles in the FOREIGN language. Also listen to music in that language, change your Facebook settings to Italian, label things in your house in Italian. |
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? | I wish I would have known more about the current events/politics about Italy. Europeans are much more aware of what is going on around themselves and the world than Americans do. It's embarassing. |
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: |
ART 299 |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Ana Maria Gonzalez |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This class was not challenging. Not only was it not challenging but the language of instruction was english. No art terms were introduced and there was no real system of grading. Because of the lack of grading system, grades were given based on how much the instructor liked the student. This resulted in unfair grading for some of the students. It's an art class. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
IT 299 |
| Course Department: | Italian Language |
| Instructor: | Jules Bella |
| Instruction Language: | Italian |
| Comments: | This class challenged me in a way that didn't make me apprehensive to learning. Jules was ordered in his instruction and provided all materials necessary for us to learn. He prepared us exceptionally well for conversation because he did not allow us to speak English. This is expected in an upper level language course, but many instructors usually allow for your home language to be spoken if you're explaining something or have a question. It was a challenge, but since Jules prohibited english even in those circumstances we were able to better communicate with our host families. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Yes. I suggest for students to ensure immediately when they arrive at Siena that they are being placed into the appropriate level language course. I was approved for an advanced 300 level language course in Siena to equate the 3000 level course at my home school, but the highest level course (the course that all upper level students/non-beginner students were placed in) was a 200 level course. To my university this looks like intermediate not advanced, even though the content was surely more advanced than my home intermediate course. Make sure you are taking the course you got approved. Especially if you are a graduating senior. |
