The Best Program for Language Immersion Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I chose this program because of the focus on the language immersion and was not disappointed. The Language Pledge and the courses I took directly at the Università degli Studi di Firenze really helped me to gain fluency, and I was very happy with my progress at the end of the year.

On-site administration of your program

The staff were all supportive and helpful. They were there for everything we needed, from housing to safety to cultural activities.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I loved my host parents and am still in touch with them today. They made me feel like part of their family and introduced me to their friends and relatives so I had a network of people for extra support and the chance for greater integration.

There are plenty of great choices for dining in Florence. The best food I ate was always with my host family.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

There are lots of US students in Florence, and Italian students are used to international visitors so I really had to make an effort to get to know people. By the end, there were a few groups of people that I hung out with (and am still in close contact with), but students should know that they'll have to put themselves out there to meet people. The Language Pledge definitely helps - Italians always seemed a little surprised and pleased that I spoke the language.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

The local health care system does not run as efficiently as I was used to back home, but everything I needed was taken care of.

Florence is a very safe city. I felt comfortable walking around at night, but always accompanied by others. There are definitely parts of the city to avoid when wandering alone, and the program talked about safety at length during orientation to help us understand how to navigate safely.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

At that time, the exchange rate did not favor the US dollar, but I was able to keep my expenses down pretty well. Living with a host family meant that I didn't have to buy my own groceries or have to deal with budgeting apartment utilities.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

The program has a language pledge, so only Italian is spoken on the program

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• Host Family

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• Host Family

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• Local Students
• Americans

• The chance to focus on Italian and use it 24/7
• I had the independence to travel and take part in activities outside of the program. Students are able to make the program exactly what they want.
• Host Family and personal connections made

• The group activities were fun - more of those!

The Academic or Linguist