Settling in Siena Past Review
By A student (European Cultural Studies, Brandeis University) - abroad from 06/01/2014 to 07/25/2014 with
CET Siena
There's too much to say about what was gained and learned, but certainly time abroad is always worthwhile.
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 teachers were absolutely fantastic, they knew their material well and they knew how to explain it. Unfortunately, the program curriculum is designed at such a speed that the first month is essentially a review of two semester's worth of italian, whereas the second month is learning 8-10 new verb tenses in three weeks... not enough time to learn/absorb/apply the material and there is no support for this aspect, although the issue is known by the program provider. It felt as if we (the students) were just thrown in and meant to survive the second portion of the Italian curriculum. I definitely learned a lot and grew in confidence, but would not have said that the second month's curriculum had a positive impact. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I appreciate how organized the administration was, but towards the end, communication broke down. It was also sometimes difficult to get in touch with those needed to be contacted and there didn't seem to be enough support for all the participants. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The location was absolutely unreal, we had an apartment in the center of the old city close to everywhere we would want to go and even had a beautiful view! Unfortunately, the apartment was old and at its cleanest was not so clean... it also was not clean when we moved in and maintaing hygiene proved difficult with so many people, a few of whom did not care about it. |
| * Food: |
I learned a few tips from my Italian roommate and the two program dinners we had were spectacular!!! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I personally had a health concern that I brought up that was not followed through. |
| * Safety: |
Siena felt like the safest city in Italy. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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 $70 a week on groceries/food, $350 for a weekend trip to Sorrento/Capri, and maybe $150 on souvenirs. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Grocery shop, learn how to cook (ideally from someone from that country), don't rush to buy things, figure out what you want and prioritize, bargain/decide how much you want to spend for certain things in advance |
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 |
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| 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? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Italian 20 |
| 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? | Make friends who don't speak english :) |
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? | It's an extremely intensive program. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
