Beautiful Sorrento, The perfect place to study abroad. Past Review
By kelsey.harms3 (Gustavus Adolphus College) - abroad from 05/25/2014 to 06/28/2014 with
Sant'Anna Institute: Sorrento - Live, Learn and Immerse in Italy
I learned a lot about my self and became more independent having to live on my own. I also learned about the italian culture and how different areas can have such different ways of life.
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 academic educational experience was great, but not very rigorous. I thought it was a perfect balance for study abroad because the most important part of the experience is getting to know the culture you are living in. The city of Sorrento is beautiful and I think it is the perfect place to study abroad. Not only is it on the ocean with cliffs but because it is a little smaller than the main cities, you get to know the culture better. |
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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? |
We had an awesome apartment! it had tons of space and air conditioning! The only thing was that we were told someone would come clean but no one did. I loved the girls I ended up living with and we had plenty of space. |
| * Food: |
The food in italy is fabulous. There was not any directly provided by the program but Sorrento had great fresh food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I feel as if because it was summer it was harder to integrate ourselves. There were a lot more tourists here than a normal semester would've had. We did meet some italians and knew our way around town. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I did not get sick, but from what I could tell the pharmacies were not as helpful as we are used to in america. I am sure our program would do anything to help out! |
| * Safety: |
I felt very safe in the city! the only thing is the creepy italian boys on the weekend nights. They do not take hints and sometimes can fallow you or say things to you that are offensive, but in big cities it was even worse |
| 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) |
Italy is expensive, not much you can do. Try and budget well and prioritise where you want your money to go. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | get food from the supermarket and cook for yourself or with others in the program. Going out to eat is what gets expensive. But of course do not stop yourself from going out some and getting pasta pizza or gelato it is a big part of the experience. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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?
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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? | What more to pack, the list was not very helpful! |
