A Florentine Experience Past Review
By A student (Humanities, Wheelock College) - abroad from 01/25/2012 to 05/12/2012 with
CISabroad (Center for International Studies): Florence - Semester in Florence
My experience was completely worth while. I had no idea how negative the stereotypes against American women were before I lived in Italy, and at the time it was extremely frustrating, but now that Im back in America, it makes me grateful for the freedom I have as a woman in this country.
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. |
Classes were not challenging and almost totally lecture-based. The best part about the classes at FUA were the field trips and outside-of-class time visiting museums, churches, and other cities. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
FUA staff were always present whether through emails, class time, or just being in their office. It was very clear from the beginning that they were there 24/7 to help with anything. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Apartment housing was both fun and stressful. Groceries and cleaning supplies were very underestimated expenses that I had not anticipated beforehand. |
| * Food: |
Everything in Florence is fresh and delicious. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Florence is extremely American due to the amount of students and tourists that flock there so it was somewhat difficult to truly immerse yourself in the language and real Italian culture. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
FUA provided their students with an indepth pre-orientation packet which icluded everything from grocery stores to clubs to doctors to call for any situation. I was sick several times throughout the semester due to allergies and I went to a doctor that FUA referred me to. He was British so there was no language barrier, and he extremely accommodating and met with me an hour after I called in. |
| * Safety: |
Florence is a relativly safe city compared to other cities in Europe, but the prejudices against young American women that exist there can create some problems for female students. One needs to be aware of how they dress and carry themselves and where they walk at night or else you could put yourself into a dangerous situation. |
| 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) |
Its possible to budget out the money you will spend on groceries and meals out and drinks before you arrive- I wish I had done this! That way its easier to plan trips and impulsive travel plans when you know how much expendable money you have. |
| * 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? | 100 euros |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Write as much as possible down! Its easy to over-spend when you dont take into account the exchange rate and how often you visit the ATM. A few weeks in I began writing down each time I went to the ATM and subtracting the totals and converting all the euros to dollars. This was very helpful for me. |
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 |
Almost everyone I met in Florence spoke English and at least some English so using Italian was rarely necessary. Also, my language class met twice a week and then after the midterm only once a week so I learned the bare minimum of the language. |
| 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? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Intermediate |
| 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? | Speak it even if you don't need to. Joke with your friends in the language, order your food in the language- anytime you can use it makes you more comfortable and it makes learning it even easier. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
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 would have loved to have know about the Student Cells options before I left. If you have an unlocked phone or smart phone, you can bring it to Student Cells (right next to FUA administration office) and add an Italian plan that is only 20 euros a month for unlimited data and free incoming calls and texts. I also used Google Voice through my American phone and computer as a way to call the US for free. I wish I had known these things before I left and it would have saved alot of stress and money before I had got there. |
