How I Became Italian Past Review
By Kara T (Philosophy., Wellesley College) for
Syracuse University: Florence - Syracuse University in Florence
Definitely.
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. |
The workload was manageable. The grading was a bit easy for some classes and quite fair for others. The educational system was the same because it was an American school. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The integration with the community was amazing but I would have preferred more challenging courses academically. Though, on the other hand, I was able to immerse myself because of my free time and learned a lot about living in a new country that I might not have learned had I spent all of my time on homework. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
I did not have an dietary restrictions and I was open to eating anything. I found this attitude led me to find new things I loved. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Every week in my Italian class we visited a different cultural gem around the city. I loved discovering local markets, artisans and gelaterias. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The program was very safe and gave some great advice for staying safe in the city. The physician was available and very helpful and the socialized healthcare system made it easy to get affordable prescriptions. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I spent about 100 euro a week on food, and personal expenses. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Travel is always more expensive than you think. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | none. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I lived with an Italian family, worked with an Italian brand, and made Italian friends. I used the language every day even though my classmates spoke English. |
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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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | Be creative. Be open. Don't stress like an American. |
