A Modern Experience in a Classic Italian City Past Review
By A student (Marquette University) - abroad from 09/18/2012 to 12/06/2012 with
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC): Milan - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
It was DEFINITELY worthwhile. I would encourage anyone to study abroad. I think most of all I gained a lot of confidence to do things by myself. I knew no one going to Italy and I made so many friends (many of them American), but I was really able to use skills to navigate around cities and go out on my own and interact with those that actually reside in Milan. I learned so much in one semester and I cherish all of the memories that I made while I was abroad.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Compared to my home University the academic work was a little less intense, which I greatly enjoyed because then I had time to enjoy being in Italy and travel. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I really appreciated our International Advisers at Cattolica because they were almost always available and very helpful with anything we may have needed. It made living and going to school there a lot easier and less confusing. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I enjoyed the placement of my apartment, but I was disappointed with some of our living conditions, and it was very difficult to get a hold of our apartment manager at some points. There were a couple broken things, or dirty things in our apartment, and whenever we needed maintenance it took at least a week to get anything fixed. |
| * Food: |
I mean, it's Italy, the food is amazing. I did dine in the cafeteria at the University once or twice and the food was very good. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I did feel as though I was able to be somewhat integrated into the culture, but I did feel very separated from the rest of the "regular" students at Cattolica. I guess it didn't help that I didn't speak much Italian but I would have liked to learn a lot more than I did. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I did have one health care issue when I was abroad and I was able to go to the doctor at the University. The doctor didn't speak much English but one of the women in the International office was kind enough to come with me to see the doctor and help me translate which was absolutely wonderful. |
| * Safety: |
Just like any major city, Milan can be dangerous if you aren't safe. Watch out for pick-pockets, and don't go out alone at night on the metro unless you know where you are going and are very familiar with the area. I only had one incident where I thought someone was trying to reach into my bag but overall between all of my friends and me, I don't think any of us ran into any major safety issues during our time there. |
| 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) |
If you budgeted yourself between food, shopping/leisure and traveling it wasn't all that hard to stay on a budget, but some things in Milan were quite expensive. As long as you took advantage of the markets and grocery store, it was easy to save money on food. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $100 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Create a budget and stick to it. It will be easier that way. And don't forget about transaction fees! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
I took classes all in English. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
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? | I wish I would have learned more about Italy and the language before I went. I also wish I would have budgeted more and saved more money. |
