EVERYTHING I IMAGINED AND MORE! Past Review

By Haley Taylor (University of Alabama - Tuscaloosa) - abroad from 01/15/2015 to 05/08/2015 with

AIFS: Florence - Richmond in Florence and Internship Program

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

My experience abroad was the first time in my life where I learned more outside of the classroom than in it. Studying abroad is a valuable experience that every student should have. Experiencing life outside of one's "bubble" and into a new culture with new people is a difficult experience, however in the end, will become one of the most valuable and memorable experiences one can have.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	I really enjoyed all of the classes that I took because most of the professors were extremely engaging and we had many field trips throughout the city as well as around Tuscany. These field trips were incredible and vital to making the classes awesome! The only downfall of the classes was that some of them were not fully executed and could be improved, particularly on the content.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	In every part of the experience, the staff at AIFS would help you in anyway and were all genuinely nice and wanted to get to know every student.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	Please tell me what's better than living right on the Arno river in a beautiful Italian-style apartment. The location of this apartment was pristine because every day I was able to walk to class along the Arno river.
* Food:	If I could rate this 10/5 stars, I would. The meal plan WAS OUT OF THIS WORLD. IT WAS INCREDIBLE! There is no better way to experience the culture of Italy than being able to eat at about 25 different restaurants throughout the city each night. Each restaurant ranged from a meal "gift card" or a set menu. And these restaurants had incredible food. It may have helped me gain a few pounds, but I also got to explore some of Italy's best food for no price. I know so many other students studying abroad that ended up cooking pasta and sauce for dinner every night to save money, whereas my friends and I got to go out to eat each night of the week.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	AIFS planned many social events including volunteering at the local schools, colleges, etc.; social nights with local Italians to practice your Italian and meet other students; free trips to the Italian country side as well as a 3 day trip to Venice; I’m telling you, AIFS did an incredible job of making sure we had every opportunity to fully engage in the Italian culture and I couldn’t have asked for anything better.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes AIFS was absolutely fantastic! If you see yourself going to Florence, Italy, I would highly suggest choosing AIFS. It is by far the best program around in Florence.

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)	Because the program included an incredible meal plan that included 4 dinners, 5 breakfasts/ lunch and a voucher at a nearby grocery store, I ended up saving money on food and weekly expenses. This allowed me to use that money to travel more and buy more gifts/ italian goodies for home.
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	$30 (again, having a meal plan saved on money)
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Give yourself a budget and try to stick with it! As much as you want to buy everything while you're abroad, this is not feasible. If you end up having money at the end of your journey, then go for the super cute Italian shoes that aren't necessary but that you really want. Studying abroad is a great lesson on compromising your money for travel and experiences over materialistic items.

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	Every student was required to take Italian, at the level they came in with. The program offered social nights where we had the opportunity to talk with local Italian students to help us practice Italian and they got to practice English. Simply because most Italians are much better at speaking English than we are at speaking Italian, we usually ended up speaking English with most foreigners.
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?	Basic 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?	Do not be afraid or embarrassed to use Italian in any restaurant, cafe or bar. Most people I interacted with let me try and would even help me with speaking the native language. This repetition allowed me to best practice the language while abroad. My other advice would be to go into a local piazza and simply listen to the locals. Hearing the language is also important to learning it.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Apartment
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Americans
* 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?	the incredible meal plan apartment/ housing social activities
* What could be improved?	VISA assistance
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	One thing I wish I knew before going is to pack even lighter than I thought. I thought packing one large suitcase and a carry-on was packing light, however I would suggest even packing lighter. Know that you will want to buy clothing and other items while you're abroad to blend into their culture. I wore those clothes the most, and hardly wore some of my clothes. Packer lighter than you think!

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 Urbanite A 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.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Italian Art History
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Best class that I took abroad! I never thought that I would ever like art history but this class went above and beyond everything I could imagine. Nearly weekly, we would have one class at school learning about many paintings and artists and the other day of the week, we would get to see the art in real life at one of the many museums or churches throughout Florence.
Credit Transfer Issues: