SACI thinks it's an art school, Italy is beyond fantastic (of course) Past Review
By Christina Barrera (Maryland Institute College of Art) for
Studio Arts College International (SACI): Florence - SACI in Florence
It was worthwhile because being abroad is always worthwhile! the food was spectacular, I saw SO MUCH in that ridiculous art history class, I went to a lot of places I'd never been within Italy, I met two or three excellent people that I'm keeping in touch with, and my boyfriend (who'd never been to Europe before) and I took a long trip after wards through the more Eastern countries of Europe where I had never been. I made some great work, and my MICA professor is one of my favorite professors from MICA. None of the successes of my study abroad experience, minus taking advantage of Helen Waterson's field trips (which come at the major cost of having to be in her class) can be credited to the SACI study abroad program, only to Italy being spectacular and my own knowledge of travel, budgeting and research. If you just want a place to facilitate your study abroad and to be with other MICA students, and you fell comfortable guiding your own work and just want to be in Italy, then this is the place for you.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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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 location and apartment were spectacular, what was a huge hassle was that our fridge, our heating, and our washer were on the fritz and SACI didn't fix it for something like three weeks. |
| * Food: |
this has nothing to do with the program, we provided our own food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The only thing that contributed to this was the on site art history class which involves field trips, other wise we were left to our own devices. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I would go for something at a real fine arts institution and maybe in a more beautiful city. Florence has SO MUCH to offer in arts and culture, but the weather is gray and the city is mostly gray and white, I knew this already but a lot of students were disappointed by this. |
