The most amazing time in florence! Past Review

By (EDUCATION., Providence College) for

Fairfield University: Florence - Semester or Year in Italy

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Absolutely!! It was the best 4 months of my life and I gained so many new experiences and friends. I can not wait to go back to florence.

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.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

All of my expectations were met, they were available when I needed assistance, and were very helpful especially during the first two weeks of adjusting etc. There were about 75 students in the fall, the majority of which were from fairfield.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

We had a great location, very close to the school and only one block from the river. The building was clean and the apartment was well kept. However it had no living room or social space which was definitely a drawback. We bought a few items the first week, mainly for the kitchen and bathrooms, but they were all available at Ikea.

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

Florence is a pretty safe city. I experienced italian health care multiple times. It is definitely very different than what we are used to here in the US, but they were able to help me in the same way. Our program had a "red book" which we were given at orientation and it had a list of doctors in it.

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)

Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Keep track of your expenses so you see how much you are spending, traveling definitely absorbs the most of your money but it is definitely worth it. Everyones internet expenses varied by apartment from 25-100 euros per person. phones were cheap through student cells

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?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

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  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

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  • Americans