Great experience with awesome people, food, and a beautiful city! Past Review

By (Managerial Economics and Marketing, Bentley University) - abroad from 01/24/2013 to 05/19/2013 with

Lorenzo de' Medici – Florence

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
To explain the answer above, I would go to Italy again and do a host family, but I would want to chose a different school and do an actual program (not do it only through Bentley)

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.

I like everything about Bentley

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

I liked my professors, the school in general and the head administration was not great.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I loved my host family!

* Food:

Great food for breakfast and dinner everyday

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I loved Italy and the people I met

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

I always felt safe in my host country

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

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)

I spent probably $100 on food and personal expenses every week, and I tried to manage my money very well and was cautious with what I spent. The euro conversion really messes with you!

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? ONLY spend money on food and what you really need, otherwise you will not have enough money to travel

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

I lived with an italian family so I had to speak the language every day

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? None
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? Talk as much as possible with locals, watch TV, listen to music

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

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
  • Host Family
* 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?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • host family
  • classes
* What could be improved?
  • would much rather be in a program with other schools; not just Bentley
  • rules were a little much for what the school seemed to be like
  • too many group projects due to the fact that some students were taking pass fail classes so they did not care as much, and some students take classes for actual credit which affects their GPA
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? That there are a lot of programs that go on trips with one another during the weekends; I would have liked to be in those programs