Forever Changed by Sorrento <3 Past Review
By Caitlin S (International Business., University of Rhode Island) for
Sant'Anna Institute: Sorrento - Live, Learn and Immerse in Italy
I am more willing to branch out and meet all kinds of people and have shed some of my shy ways. I have a better understanding of the Italian culture, and even a better appreciation of my own. This experience has inspired me to take life slower to appreciate every moment, and I have even changed my mind about what I want to do after graduation! This experience has given me more than I could have imagined.
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. |
The workload was lighter than my home university but I'd say it was perfectly balanced for a student who wanted to learn while still being able to travel on weekends and experience the host country. The staff is so nice and extremely helpful at SASL! Everyone is so welcoming too! We went on fieldtrips for a lot of our courses which made the learning very hands-on, which is how I learn best. Overall, an incredible experience. I definitely want to take more Italian classes here in the future! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program size is small and intimate. Everyone in the staff would help you, and if they could not help they would find someone who could. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
It was about 20 minutes to school on foot, but even closer to the main town. The neighborhood was safe. |
| * Food: |
Traditional Italian meals! I ate breakfast and dinner at home every day, and now have a whole new food vocabulary! Everything is very fresh and food is eaten in season. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Our program was small, so we became a very close-knit group. We hung out with each other on weekends, and took weekend trips together to Barcelona, Rome, Florence, Sicily, and more. Some memorable moments included climbing Vesuvius with our archaeology class, spending Sant'Antonino day walking Corso Italia, and our business field trip to a local Limoncello factory. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Sorrento is very safe. |
| 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) |
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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I took an Italian Lit class and was encouraged to speak Italian, read in Italian, and think in Italian. It helped me learn new vocabulary, but more importantly helped me improve every day language skills. I lived in a home-stay which was accounted for the largest part of my language acquisition. My host-family only spoke Italian with me so my speaking skills have improved a lot. Though a lot of Italians in the area can speak English, it is easy to find Italian friend with whom you can practice your Italian. This is what I really enjoyed about the program location. However, if you do not speak Italian, you can certainly get by with just English. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
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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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? | Just go! You won't be disappointed. The program is small but that has made it so much more memorable, and I have gotten so much out of it because of this! |
