The best semester of my life Past Review
By A student (Barnard College) - abroad from 01/09/2012 to 06/05/2012 with
Brown University: Bologna - Brown in Italy at University of Bologna
It was definitely worthwhile. It taught me a lot about myself as a person and I gained friends as well as great language skills!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The academic part of the experience wasn't exactly "rigorous" but that's not to say I didn't study while I was there. I had to know a lot of information for the exams. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Excellent Administration!! They do so much for you. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
Italian food is amazing. End of story. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
People were very friendly and willing to talk. |
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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) |
Bologna can be expensive, but it also has a lot of cheap options for students, especially with food. I ate amazing food at a very low price. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 50-80 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Keep track of what you spend. It helps to see where you can cut costs. |
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 |
Everything was in Italian, which was good because my language skills improved tremendously. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Advanced Conversation |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Watch Italian news and movies to get a feel for the speed of the language. It'll help for comprehension. |
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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| 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? | To pack lighter than I did. |
