Study Italian Art the way it was meant to be studied: In Italy! Past Review
By Kim B (History, SUNY - Buffalo) for
SUNY Purchase: Pisciotta - Municipal Schools of Pisciotta
Studying abroad is ALWAYS worthwhile.
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 village we stayed in, Pisciotta, was absolutely goregeous. The schedule trips to Florence, Rome, Naples, Salerno, Ischia, Capri, Pompeii, Amalfi, and Ravello were very well done. I wish there was a bit more freedom, but because classes were everyday you couldn't really up and leave for a weekend to see other parts of Italy. The grading was extremely Easy, and the professors were very helpful and wonderful people. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
We took classes at a nearby Middle School, we weren't in a University at all, which struck me as odd and unprofessional |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
We had a very nice apartment near the middle of town with running water, kitchen, living room, and other amenities. It was very adequate and cozy for our 6 week stay |
| * Food: |
You get vouchers to eat around town, and the local food is AWESOME. You also have the opportunity of shopping in the local markets and preparing your own meals, which is also a neat experience. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I didn't make any lifelong friends out of the program, but I learned and saw some absolutely amazing stuff in the museums and trips. Paul Kaplan was an extremely knowledgable professor. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
There weren't any health issues so I feel unfair commenting about them. I did feel very safe with the group and didn't encounter and bad or harmful experiences. |
| 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) |
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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
All of my fellow classmates spoke English as well as the instructors so although I took Italian while I was there, I didn't really use it and didn't retain much of the 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?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | This was a great experience and I saw, experienced, and retained the knowledge about a variety of Italian art and architecture, including, but not limited to: Boticelli's Venus, Pompeii, Michekangelo's Pieta and David, the Vatican, the Cathedral of Amalfi, and much more |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Italian art and archaeology (Hellenistic to Baroque) |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Paul Kaplan |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Great Course! |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Italian Language |
| Course Department: | ITL101 |
| Instructor: | The program director's Wife |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Easy |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Easy class, but I didn't retain any Italian after the trip |
