Aboad Is abroad Past Review
By Michael B (Biopsychology and italian, Tufts University) for
Syracuse University: Florence - Syracuse University in Florence
I made my study abroad experience a lot funner than is actually would have been by being open-minded and making my own fun.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The program is not completely organized and has many holes. The internet access there is horrible, always down. The teachers, or at least Piombino, the teacher I had was totally one-sided and offered no room for disagreement or questions in her class. She was not a good teacher in the least. The library fit roughly 30 people and there were 300 in the program. The school also closed around 6 Pm every day. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Nice people, but a little slow to respond to issues and needs. Except Beth was very good. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Nicoletta Graziani, best host mom. |
| * Food: |
Never ate protein. tons of carbs. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
great night life |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | sPeNt around 9000 in all |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | save money when you go out. its expensive |
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? | 4 |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I took a class at the University of Florence so I learned most of my Italian not through the program directly but at the University and also took a class at the Centro there in Italy which was also not affiliated with the program. |
| 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?
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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