My Trip Abroad Through CEA-best decision of my life! Past Review
By Hannah G (University of Colorado - Boulder) - abroad from 01/12/2015 to 05/03/2015 with
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Florence, Italy
I learned so many different things from my time abroad. From gaining insight into different cultures all around the World to truly becoming a local Italian for four months, I had the time of my life. I gained new friends, new experiences, new knowledge, and a new view of the World. I would recommend studying abroad to anyone who is considering it!
Review Photos
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. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program administration at CEA-Florence made my transition into life abroad so much easier than I could have ever imagined! They are constantly available for questions and concerns and truly care about every student in the program. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My apartment was absolutely perfect! If ever there was a problem, CEA would send someone over the next day. It was completely worry free! |
| * Food: |
The food in Florence is amazing...one of the things that I will miss the most! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We had so many opportunities to becoming integrated into the culture. In my opinion, our language exchange was the greatest opportunity. We were introduced (through CEA) to a foreign student studying at the University of Florence. We kept in contact with them and met multiple times around Florence. This was such an amazing opportunity that I wouldn't have and if it weren't for CEA. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
CEA was incredible about the health of the students. If ever they knew someone was sick or injured, they constantly checked up on them and made sure we were getting the care we needed. |
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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) |
Living on a budget is all about what you make it. You are the ultimate decider of what you spend your money on! |
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 |
We had an Italian class every day of the school week (Monday-Thursday) and this was one of my favorite parts of the program. Some school's do not require you to take a language but it was so helpful and something that I hope to continue. |
| 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 |
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? | I wish that I had known how helpful and accommodating a foreign host program would be. I spent so many nights worrying about so many things that I thought were going to be hard for me. Yet, the staff at CEA made everything so much more comfortable and easy. I wouldn't have stressed as much about coming abroad had I known this! |
