Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Sant' Anna study abroad May 02, 2023

By (Marine Biology, Rochester Institute of Technology) - abroad from 01/15/2023 to 05/06/2023 with

Sant'Anna Institute: Sorrento - Live, Learn and Immerse in Italy

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
It was worthwhile

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Teachers were unresponsive to their emails. In my volcanology class, I had class 3 times in the month of April, the teacher frequently canceled the class throughout the semester. When we did have class, it was not entirely educational. We went to class to watch a movie one day and one day we went to read an article and leave. In marine biology, two and a half hours of straight lecture going very fast was not enjoyable. Additionally, there was a severe lack of communication and far too high of an expectation for an introductory level class with people having no prior knowledge of the subject.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

There was nothing going on in Sorrento until late March which I did not expect. So for the first half of the program there was barely anything to do and it was colder than expected.

Finances

* 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 including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 25

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

* Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? Exchange

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • The CIS coordinator
  • CIS activities
  • Marine Biology field trip
* What could be improved?
  • Email communication
  • Difference attendance policy
  • Optional field trips
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Sorrento is a small, quiet city. Night life is not a big thing here

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 Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

History of Italian Cinema
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language: English
Comments: There were no field trips, teacher was knowledgable but talked so much that we didnt have time to watch the movies in class and would have to do them on our own time. We had to write 4 page papers every other week with no instruction!! Writing based off of 4 lines in the syllabus but no instruction from the teacher
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Italian
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments: The instructor was awesome and engaging
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Volcanology
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments: I did not learn much and class was always canceled
Credit Transfer Issues: