Yes, You Should Go to Italy On Exchange March 02, 2021
By YY Liak (Maryland Institute College of Art) - abroad from 01/09/2020 to 04/27/2020 with
Studio Arts College International (SACI): Florence - SACI in Florence
I tried so much good food, wandered around different parts of Italy with my friends and by myself, took super interesting classes in historical buildings, went on field trips to old churches and ancient tombs. It was so fun!!!
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Helen Watterson's classes were definitely way more intense than anything else I took there, but I got to go on a bunch of field trips, and I had a great experience. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
All the admin staff were super friendly and helpful. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Super central location, but it's old so the elevator was really janky. Can get cold and noisy, but I wasn't bothered by either of those. Really love the atmosphere of the Florentine streets, and I could hear street performers playing from my window sometimes. |
| * Food: |
So, so many good places not just in Florence. Really easy to get groceries and fresh ingredients to cook your own pasta. Prosciutto ham is really affordable and SO GOOD. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Mostly my fault for not involving myself more, but our exchange was also cut short by COVID. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
COVID hit Italy hard and fast, but SACI got everyone out pretty efficiently. |
| * Safety: |
I never felt unsafe walking back at night because we were in the city center, but general rule of thumb for Europe in general is to keep your valuables in your coat's inner pocket. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Genuinely one of the funnest experiences of my life. I'm so sad it got cut short by a global pandemic, but I'll remember it fondly for the rest of my life. |
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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Cook your own food! |
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 |
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| 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 |
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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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? | I wish I explored more of Italy and Florence itself when I had the chance to before everything closed due to COVID. Also wish I brought more warm clothing?? |
