Life Changing Florence: A Flawless Experience Past Review
By Emily C (Marketing., University of Hartford) for
AIFS: Florence - Richmond in Florence and Internship Program
I learned how to handle so many life situations and over come home sickeness... which I did not suffer with there at all. After studying abroad, I want to seek a career in Europe post graduation.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The work load was less in terms of homework but it differed because each class required a large essay and tests that counted for a lot more of the grades. This lead to making sure I did well on these few assignments or it could have drastically affected my grade. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I can not find a single thing negative to say about the AIFS staff. They were the most kind, helpful, and personable people and truly made us all feel like we were home. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
A beautiful apartment right between school and the Ponte Vecchio. So big, clean, and nice. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, living room, shoe room, laundry room, 6 girls total living there. |
| * Food: |
All of the Gusta restaurants are great, Il Tarrochi, Il Teatro, La Bussola. The meal plan was absolutely perfect. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
As stated before, each month Richmond gave out a calendar of uncountable events and activities to sign up for. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Florence is SO safe. Obviously like any other place in the word it isn't good to walk around alone at night but with 1 or 2 other people with you, no problems happened to any of us. |
| 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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | To be honest, I can't even calculate how much money I spent. I traveled to other countries almost every weekend and being a girl, I spent a lot of money on shopping and what not. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | 280 euro upon arrival for utilities at your apartment (you get a lot back at the end of the semester). You will want to save up money to travel, it is so easy to book trips and travel around Europe. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
A lot of people in Florence spoke English but I was able to use the language a lot of times. Especially friends who befriended Italians, it was fun to speak with them and see how they interact with each other. |
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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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? | GO TO AIFS. Being friends with other students studying in Florence with other programs, they were ALL jealous of ours... especially in terms of the meal tickets |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
History of the Italian Mafia |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Lorenzo Picchi |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Yes, the course was hard but possibly only for a select few students. I for one am not great in history courses so it was difficult remembering dates and what not. He was a great teacher, very interesting, brought us to some interesting places. I really enjoyed his class. I feel like I participated the same amount as at home in his class. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I am not sure yet, hoping I won't. |
