Taste of Italy Past Review
By Taylor L (Illustration, University of Hartford) - abroad from 08/28/2015 to 11/22/2015 with
University of Georgia: Studies Abroad Program in Cortona, Italy
I had met many wonderful people, and experienced what it was like living in Europe. It was very worth while and had opened up my eyes to a lot.
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. |
It was an amazing experience. Since I have never been overseas before, it had really opened up my eyes to the amazing culture and way of living that the people of Italy share. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration for UGA's Cortona program were great. Very nice, helpful and informative. Made sure everyone was where they were suppose to be at all times. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
They were pretty nice. The place was big. The only complaints I have were that there were a couple of mice that would run around. There was also scary huge spiders, and the heat kind of sucked. But besides that, no complaints. |
| * Food: |
The school itself didn't really offer any food. They would put out a few breakfast things like cereal and yogurt every morning but that was it. We did however, eat with the school for dinner on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. and every Tuesday the school gave us 17 dollars off of food that we order at particular restaurants. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I felt pretty integrated. We travel a lot and experienced people's way of life. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I personally did not have an issue, but according to others who needed medical assistance they got what they had needed. |
| * Safety: |
I felt very safe and secure in my location. |
| 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) |
I was fine, I think I had spent a couple of thousand. I would not recommend anything less than a few thousand. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I spent about 50-60 per week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | No, not really. |
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 |
It encouraged us a lot, but I feel like if you did not take italian then it would be a little more difficult to pick up on the language. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | AP italian |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Study a little bit before you leave and while you are there. |
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? | 0 |
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? | Bring more fall clothes than summer clothes. It got chilly fast. |
