Florence: THE BEST city for study abroad! Past Review
By Allison W (English Writing, DePauw University) for
Arcadia: Florence - Accademia Italiana Florence
I loved everything about study abroad, I learned how to live on my own in a strange city, how to converse and befriend people that I don't know or share cultural similarities with, and I learned a lot about the beautiful art and history of Italy.
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. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They definitely knew what they were going and were very accessible, speaking both English and Italian perfectly, but the program ended 3 months ago and we still haven't gotten our grades. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
we shopped and cooked for ourselves |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We took a trip with school to a winery in chianti and learned how to taste wine and had a delicious meal and it was one of the best things I did in Italy. We also went to Rome, Pompeii, Sorrento, Arezzo, Siena, and San Gimingnano with school. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| 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? | about $100 a week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | In Italy you have to get a permission to stay visa and you have to pay about 50 euro for it |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 200 level Italian |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I could practice with classmates and other people on my program who were also taking Italian, but most people in Florence spoke English if you needed help. |
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 do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Definitely go abroad. You learn so much about yourself and it really opens you up and teaches you about global awareness. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Renaissance Art |
| Course Department: | Art History |
| Instructor: | Rocky |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | There was a lot of overlap with the Michelangelo class but we still were able to do the same museum and church visits which were very helpful and interesting. It was like having a personal tour guide throughout Florence |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | no |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Italian |
| Course Department: | 290 |
| Instructor: | Laura Boschi |
| Instruction Language: | Italian |
| Comments: | Very informative and helped me get along while I was abroad |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Life and Works of Michelangelo |
| Course Department: | Art History |
| Instructor: | Rocky |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | I loved this class because we were able to go to the museums and see Michelangelo's work in person. Rocky was the perfect teacher because he is both Italian and American, and is very intelligent |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | no |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Italian Cinema |
| Course Department: | Film |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | We learned a lot about Italian Cinema through viewings and lecture, and the professor really cared about what he was doing which was refreshing |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | no |
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History of Tuscany |
| Course Department: | History |
| Instructor: | Niccolo Capponi |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | We didn't really learn much about history, but we went out for wine and talked about current issues in italy and America which was nice |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | no |
