Florence: what an adventure Past Review

By (Fairfield University) for

Fairfield University: Florence - Semester or Year in Italy

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
absolutely! was an amazing experience

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The workload was perfect, not too much work but enough to be pretty busy. It was a little unorganized but otherwise was like back home.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

very accessible and knowledgeable about the host country's culture etc.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I really loved being able to live with an Italian student. I feel that it helped a lot with becoming involved with the host country. She practiced her english while i practiced my italian. just bought extra blankets and some cups for the house, otherwise everything else was provided.

* Food:

not a huge fan of the school "cafeteria." I forget the name of the restaurant, but I never really had any good meals there.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

the trip we went on with the program was good, except that it felt too jammed. We were on the bus for most of the weekend and i feel like that took away from the experience of seeing all of the places.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

overall, felt pretty safe, just always walk home at night with other people. you don't really feel all that safe walking home alone at night

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* 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)

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Language acquisition improvement?

I practiced with my Italian roommate a lot. I tried to speak Italian as much as possible and therefore used it everyday. A lot of people could speak english

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • International Students

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • great apartments! and they were all pretty close to each other
  • great art classes because you were able to explore florence in class
* What could be improved?
  • make it a little more organized
  • don't make all of your trips mandatory
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? try to live with an italian student. go to switzerland if you get the chance, it was amazing. save money by cooking at home and then go out the last weekish for nice great meals