Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

SUF is the best Past Review

By (Economics., Wellesley College) for

Syracuse University: Florence - Syracuse University in Florence

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
yes, it was incredibly worthwhile. I can't imagine having not done it when I had the opportunity to in college.

Personal Information

If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: We took courses at SUF, the specific university for all study abroad students in the Syracuse program in Florence.
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.

It was a good educational experience. I really enjoyed having Italian classes everyday, taught by local Italian professors. They are all very kind and want to have you become integrated with the culture in addition to learning the language, so every Wednesday in Italian class we'd take walks around the city, take tours of museums, have picnics with other Italians, have practice conversations with Italian students from la Universita di Firenze, it was great.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

One time I thought someone had stolen my wallet so I went to my program director and he called my dad back in the states and told him that he'd go with me to file a police report and he also said that the program could give me money and I could just repay them whenever because the directors wanted to be sure I wouldn't be more stressed out than I already was. They are just very supportive and helpful with every challenge you think you might face when studying abroad.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived in an apartment with a host family and a roommate from Syracuse University. It was a great family and an amazing location. We lived a 5 minute walk from the Duomo and every local nightclub, restaurant, tourist attraction was all within a few minutes walking distance. It was about a 20 minute walk to school each morning.

* Food:

the family was really accomodating with meeting any of our dietary restrictions if we had any. We didn't, and they were great about trying to cook healthy, local cuisine and introducing us to new foods.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

social life is great. the nightclubs are fun and the bars are fun. i would try to travel to different cities and countries as much as your budget allows. Our program offers weekend trips to Rome, Sicily, Venice, and more places. These are included in the tuition you just have to sign up at the beginning of the week for the weekend trips.

* 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? Yes

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? a lot. the euro exchange rate killed me.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? use ryanair and take the train if you want to travel.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Intermediate
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? Intensive Italian 103
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Language acquisition improvement?

I'm really glad I chose to stay with a host family. By the time the program was over, my roommate (a student from Syracuse) and I felt a lot more comfortable speaking Italian with them than we did when we first arrived!

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? someone that is intellectually curious and wants to study in a place where artists lived and painted, and original masterpieces and historic landmarks are everywhere in the city. It's amazing to be able to study the David and then go on a class field trip to see it and talk about it further.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Botticelli: Analysis in Depth

Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language: english
Comments: the instructor was very intense and very picky about our assignments, though he was very knowledgeable.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

italian 2

Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments: great!
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

photography
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments: this was my favorite course
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

leonardo da vinci seminar

Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments: this course was awesome. we took a class trip to Milan and got to see Leonardo's Last Supper, which was really cool to see in person. We also went to the town of Vinci, where Leonardo was believed to have been born.
Credit Transfer Issues: