Another great study abroad experience Past Review
By Sean D (International Business, University of Maine - Orono) - abroad from 05/24/2017 to 07/30/2017 with
USAC Italy: Verona - International Business, Tourism, and Italian Studies
Language skills, and knowledge of Italian culture..YES
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Difficult, but not to much to be able to enjoy yourself and immerse into the culture |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
50% of the time the information from the program advisors was accurate and 50% of the time it was untrue |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Very unsatisfied, I have lived in many places throughout the world and never encountered anything like the Residence. The concierge was rude to everyone from our program, would lie to us, tell us they didn't have our key when they did, etc... |
| * Food: |
Its Italy the food is amazing |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Somewhat to an extent... but tough completely integrating yourself when you are in a program with fellow Americans |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Broke a tooth and got it filled at a local dentist very easily accessible and cheap! |
| * Safety: |
The majority of the city was safe except for the place where our residence was located... this area was considered the dangerous part by the locals and not a good place to walk around at night |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I studied in Spain last year and was able to compare the two USAC programs. Spain does a lot of things differently(better) than USAC Verona which made it a more immersive , fun, and educational experience. |
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 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 200$ |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Shop at supermarkets, don't eat out |
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 studied the language |
| 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? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Intermediate Italian |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | That we had to pay utilities... This wasn't mentioned before arriving in Verona |
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 Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
