Loved abroad not this program December 05, 2023
By Ryan K (Education, Elon University) - abroad from 08/25/2023 to 12/14/2023 with
Sant'Anna Institute: Sorrento - Live, Learn and Immerse in Italy
Yes so worthwhile
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Little to no resources- they have them but know nothing and don’t help at all |
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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? |
THE WORST APARTMENT EVER. People know it’s the worst and have compared with mine. Bad setup and management |
| * Food: |
None. Discount card for one place it’s a cafe. We have to pay for all of our own groceries and no meal plan |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
One of my roommates had a major health issue and she went to the school for help but they did nothing for her. |
| * Safety: |
Feel so safe in sorrento!! |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
It was just not the same as any other program resource wise. Comparing it to the other programs my friends did it seemed like a joke |
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) |
Again, no resources for this. No food plan and the “discount card” they gave us didn’t work anywhere. The servers would actually laugh in our faces when we tried to use it. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 500 probably |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Just add a food plan please. I would not have done this program if I knew how bad it actually was. |
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 |
No encouragement at all. In our Italian classes we didn’t even learn how to order at a coffee shop |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | None |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 0 |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
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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* 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? | 0 |
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? | That there was no food plan |
