Italy. La Vita Bella Past Review
By Katharine K (Communications, Trinity University) for
Arcadia: ISI Perugia - The Umbra Institute
I wish I could do it again. I will be trying to return to Italy as soon as possible. I'm in love.
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. |
There is probably about an hour and a half's worth of homework each night and two one page compositions due each week. Totally manageable, just the right amount to learn while still having an active social life. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I loved everyone that worked at Umbria, they were great and extremely helpful with all issues. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My apartment was about a five minutes walk away from school, same time from the centro the bars and little grocery stores. an excellent cozy little spot. |
| * Food: |
No restrictions |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We had a field trip to a farm where we learned how to hand make pasta and that was a really great trip! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Ok so Perugia really isnt THAT safe, but i personally felt very safe the whole time I was there, with one exception that doesnt really apply, but my suggestion for others would be to just use common sense, be smart, and dont walk around at night by yourself. |
| 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? | I don't know the exact amount |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | try cooking and buying groceries more often than eating out. It will save you a ton of money, also if you have other friends abroad try and visit them cause that will also save money as far as hotel accomodations. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I practiced with my professors, my roomates, my friends, my local italian friends, and later with my mom when she came over to travel with me. I did speak a lot of english still, but i was using italian very regularly throughout my day and even after only studying for a month my language skill improved phenomenally |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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? | Be open to experience and you cant go wrong. |
