Amazing and unforgettable Past Review
By Jen (Kopp) Frederickson (Benedictine College) - abroad from 02/01/2009 to 05/01/2009 with
Benedictine College: Florence - Semester Program in Florence, Italy
Independence, a love of Italian culture, a love of the Italian language and the ability and chance to travel around and learn so much about other areas and experience so many amazing adventures!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Loved how we could learn Italian right there in Italy! Did not care for the additional history classes - seemed unorganized and irrelevant - great teacher though, he was so sweet! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
could have used a bit more space. but beautiful location!! |
| * Food: |
Hit or miss. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Could have done more immersion |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
no health issues, so i can't comment |
| * Safety: |
Florence was great, although we should have been prepped on other safety precautions for travel to other parts of Europe - we unknowingly landed in a few unsafe situations. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
It was incredible to be in such a lovely place and learn so much! I would have loved to stay longer! |
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? | Not sure! Maybe $100 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Take cheap flights and don't skimp on hostels - you need a safe, clean space to sleep! Buy food and bring it with! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
could have been immersed more |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| 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? | Latin - in high school for 3 years. |
| 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? | I started Rosetta stone - that helped! |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| 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? |
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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? | How to get to Villa Morgan.... it was just briefly laid out and we should have had people meet us at the train station or something... otherwise i was well prepared i 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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
