Past Review
By Pheriche R (Italian and Economics, Tulane University) for
Universita degli Studi di Firenze: Florence - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I loved traveling around, I saw a lot of great things.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Universita di Firenze- lettere e filosofia |
| The term and year this program took place: | Fall 2009 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I felt like I was taking freshmen intro classes. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administrator is a lovely women and very sweet and supportive, but she's only there part time, there's no real introduction to the city and culture, and a larger group for support would have been nice. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Our classes were a thirty minute walk from class, the apartment was dingy (compared with Tulane facilities). We had three separate maggot infestations. |
| * Food: |
Italy has excellent food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Our program didn't arrange anything, it all had to be found on our own. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Lucia was very helpful with health concerns. |
| 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? | Quite a lot, several hundred dollars for utilities every month, several hundred for groceries every month. Probably about $80 every week? |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I didn't know how much utilities would cost. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I learned a few more words and the subjunctive, but my high school Italian was on a similar level. There was no real structure to the program after our language courses (which were much too easy) ended. |
Other Program Information
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | It requires a lot of independence, but everyone in it seems to love it. |
