Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Amazing 4 months!! 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?
Yes, definitely the best experience of my life! I learned so much about myself and a new culture and I really enjoyed everyday while I was there.

Personal Information

If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: Florence University of the Arts
How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* 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:

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? Most students travel somewhere almost every weekend and on top of the price of the trip, you have to buy all of your meals out while away. if you cook mostly in your appartment you save a lot of money and can still eat really great authentic Italian food - the markets are amazing in Florence.

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?

You can definitely get by in Florence with very little knowledge of the Italian language, but you can also practice your Italian in everyday interactions.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Physics in Daily Life
Course Department:
Instructor: Edward Metcalfe
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Don't shy away from science classes at FUA. The teacher is a great guy and makes class very interesting. He is understanding of the fact that most people don't have a lot of background knowledge in the sciences and takes that into consideration in class. I would definitely recommend taking a science at FUA to get a core requirement out of the way!
Credit Transfer Issues: No, I had no transfer problems
Course Name/Rating:

Italian Renaissance Architectrue
Course Department:
Instructor: Andrea Galdy
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Great class! I learned so much about Florence and got to see a lot more of the city than my friends who did not take this class. Half of class-time is lecture in class and the other half is on-site visits to different buildings in Florence. Fair grader, midterm, paper and a final were the grades that composed the final grade in the class. Definitely take this class, it was my favorite class by far.
Credit Transfer Issues: No, I had no problems transferring credits.