The Absolute Best Decision I've Ever Made! Past Review
By Caroline M (University of Mary Washington) - abroad from 01/13/2014 to 05/09/2014 with
SAI Study Abroad: Sorrento - Sant'Anna Institute (SA)
I learned about myself and how I function in new situations. I feel that I've grown so much abroad as a person. It was absolutely worthwhile!
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
While Sant'Anna's classes aren't overly demanding, they're perfect for Study Abroad because a lot of the learning goes on outside of the classroom. Excursions to places like Pompeii and Vesuvius were part of classtime hours and all of my professors were extremely helpful and willing to meet with me outside of class to discuss any questions I had |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration was accommodating, caring, and kind. When I was sick, Olga Stinga helped me call a doctor, and when I got stuck in Paris due to a missed flight, Serena Vacca helped to notify all of my professors. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in a large apartment with 11 students, which was incredibly difficult. I wish that I had chosen to stay with a host family. |
| * Food: |
It's Italy. The food is simply phenomenal. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Because Sorrento is a small town, I felt very connected with the culture. I was able to make friends with locals and practice my Italian. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I was sick several times throughout the program, and the one time that I was ill enough to call a doctor, she was kind and friendly and prescribed me antibiotics over the phone, which I easily obtained at a local pharmacy. |
| * Safety: |
I never felt unsafe during my time in Sorrento. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
It's difficult to budget money when you're trying to travel and feed yourself. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 75 euro |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Book flights early and on cheap airlines! Vueling is the absolute best. |
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 |
Because I'm a higher level language student, much of the staff spoke to me in Italian to help me practice. |
| 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? | Italian 202 |
| 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? | Make friends with locals and practice your language skills! The best way to learn a language is to force yourself to use it, even if you make mistakes and feel silly. It's all part of the process. |
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? | 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? | Even if you're scared to go abroad for four months, it's completely worth it. It's all going to be more than ok; in fact, it will most likely be amazing, especially if you choose Sorrento! |
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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Travel Writing |
| Course Department: | Creative Writing |
| Instructor: | Marco Spiezia |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This class was not what I expected at all. Almost all of the grade and work is based on an independent project and class hours are spent reading slides that the professor has copied and pasted from Wikipedia. I would've been better off just writing and reading on my own. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Archaeology |
| Course Department: | Anthropology |
| Instructor: | Ilaria Tartiglia |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | I learned quite a bit in this course; it was so cool to go to historical sites and be able to understand what was happening. The excursions were always interesting, and the workload isn't heavy at all. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Modern Italian Literature |
| Course Department: | Italian |
| Instructor: | Domenico Palumbo |
| Instruction Language: | Italian |
| Comments: | This class was amazing--fascinating and not too demanding, but I learned so much. Being familiar with Italian literature is something that I was really excited about trying, so having a one-on-one class with Domenico was great. I really enjoyed reading and speaking in Italian and talking about literature and life with Domenico. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Upper Intermediate Italian |
| Course Department: | Italian |
| Instructor: | Bianca Buonocore |
| Instruction Language: | Italian |
| Comments: | I've taken other Italian courses, but nothing compares to this one. Bianca is so helpful and kind. She explains topics very clearly and really wants to see you succeed. I am so glad to have had such a phenomenal Italian professor for my time abroad. The course covers the passato prossimo, imperfetto, condizionale, pronomi diretti, pronomi indiretti, pronomi doppi, e passato remoto, but I asked Bianca if we could go quickly since I'd covered most of that and work on the congiuntivo, which we did! It was a great experience. |
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