Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

An unexpected but great experience! Past Review

By (Brandeis University) - abroad from 06/17/2019 to 08/01/2019 with

Temple University International Programs: Siena - Siena Biomedical Research

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned a lot about different specialties within the medical field and I learned how to plan and travel independently. It was definitely worthwhile.

Review Photos

Temple University International Programs: Siena - Siena Biomedical Research Photo Temple University International Programs: Siena - Siena Biomedical Research Photo

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

This program was not academically intense. Normal days were <4 hours, some as little as 1 hour at lab/hospital. There was no work we had to do outside our lab/hospital hours except for our final project which was a group presentation summarizing what we had learned.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The IES staff in Siena is great! They were super helpful and everyone was really friendly! The advisors/supervisors in lab were also really nice and went out of their way to accommodate us for the majority of the time.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The apartment was beautiful and about a minute walk from both the main plaza and the IES center in Siena. There was not a lot of oversight by the program about living arrangements so we were left to figure out any roommate disagreements on our own.

* Food:

Meals were not provided, so I cooked for myself most of the time. The IES center gave us University IDs to get a discount on lunch, but I wound up packing a lunch most days. The food I ate at restaurants in Siena was great!

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I would've liked to be more integrated with the local culture. The program didn't have many opportunities to meet locals.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I didn't have any health issues, but if I did, I was well aware of my resources and would've felt very comfortable going to program staff for help.

* Safety:

I always kept one eye on my phone and purse because the IES staff warned us about pickpockets in Italy. One student on my program had her passport and wallet stolen. Besides worrying about pickpockets, I always felt very safe.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Although I wish this program had more of a research component, I still would've chosen this program because of the exposure I received in several different specialties in the research/medical field.

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)

Buying groceries was more expensive than I expected. And traveling to other cities on the weekends was also very costly.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $200-250

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Shadowing surgeries
  • Opportunities to learn in different environments
  • Lessons from different doctors
* What could be improved?
  • program description
  • schedule/filling the work days
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I knew that this is not a research program. We did not do any independent research while we were there and we did not get to help the PhD students and doctors in lab with their research. It was completely observational and shadowing exposure.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.
The Academic or Linguist
You went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you!