An Unexpected Joy Past Review

By (Sarah Lawrence College) - abroad from 09/06/2011 to 05/11/2012 with

Sarah Lawrence in Florence

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
This trip was more than worthwhile. It truly changed my life and the way I view the world. I highly recommend studying for the entire year. Florence is so complex that it cannot even be partially grasped in a year abroad, but a year is far better than a semester. I met so many wonderful people here. I grew as both a young adult and as a student. Florence is not a perfect city. Some of the things I value most about this experience have been the opportunities I had to understand the local poverty, the imperfect government, the political quandaries, and the race relations, as it all helped vanquish the stereotypical notions I had of Florence prior to my arrival. That being said, there is an unforgettable beauty to be found here. I have loved my time in Florence, and I truly wished I lived here. It took more courage and more of me than I thought to have this experience, but good things don't come without effort.

Personal Information

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.

I felt myself to be thoroughly challenged with every class that I took. No class was perfect, and as with most Sarah Lawrence classes, you get out of a class what you put into it. All of my professors I found to be engaging and incredibly knowledgeable. They also, for the most part, had a vested interest is making sure that their students were not only able to understand and be challenged by the lessons but also to enjoy them. Being a Sarah Lawrence program, however, classes are equally as dependent on the student as they are on the professors and lesson material. I always had support and always felt challenged and satisfied with the work I was doing, but that was due in great part to my own initiative. The Sarah Lawrence in Florence program, at least as regards the classes I took and audited, has high expectations for its students. It can be difficult to meet these expectations when you feel obligated to take part in the surrounding Florentine culture, but with a little effort, you can balance both schoolwork and cultural activities (exploration, weekend trips, aperitivi, cultural outings). It's not always easy, however. It's vital, though, that students seek help when they need it or work with their professors to design conference projects that challenge and motivate. It's especially worthwhile to use Florence's cultural wealth and history as a starting point for any number of conference projects. It's impossible not to be galvanized here!

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The program is directed by three women, and though it could be difficult sometimes finding them when you were in need of something, I found the 'ladies' to be very helpful and always personable. They were quick to establish good relationships with the students and were very good at planning weekend trips and providing students with opportunities to engage the Florentine cultural scene.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I seem to have had a unique situation. My host-mom, unlike most of the others, did not provide huge quantities of food every night. There was no fear of gaining weight here. I enjoyed my host-stay very much, even if privacy was difficult to find. (My host-mom had no qualms about coming into my room at any time.) I had a good relationship with my host-mom and host-father, though at times I felt sort of imprisoned in my room for fear of some social breach should I ever enter the living room or kitchen outside of mealtimes. I was always well provided for. My room was never kept anything less than immaculate (any attempts to make my bed would always be corrected by my diligent host-mom!). I did occasionally go to bed a little hungry, but I wouldn't change much about my host-stay, except for the horrible compressed vegetable patties my host-mom served a bit too frequently as a meat substitute.

* Food:

Food was amply provided by the school on all our program trips. Meals sometimes lasted for hours, and usually everyone left satisfied and satiated. The food during my host-stay (as previously described) was adequate but rarely 'more than'. Florence, however, offers up a wealth of restaurants and markets. Beyond the tourist traps there's such a variety to choose from. The market at Sant'Ambrogio is a must for any student looking for tasty and inexpensive lunch options.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

It was difficult to meet young Italian students. There were opportunities during the year at aperitivi and such, but most of my exposure to young people during the year was to American students studying abroad. If any student wants to engage Italian students, it's better if he/she takes the initiative and strikes out on his/her own. Italian students can seem much more mature and political than their American counterparts, which is very welcome, but finding them is easier said than done! As for my feeling integrated with other aspects of the local culture, I'd say that I felt fully integrated. Florence began to feel like home about a month into the school year. It's easy to stay within the confines of the historic city center, but there are many beautiful and hidden parts of the city to be found just to the north and especially on the other side of the Arno. Florence can seem like a city-sized museum, but it has a very active literary and political scene. It takes a little digging, but Florentine modernity can be readily found. It's important for students not to fall in the tourist trap and view Florence as only a historic city. To get the most out of the study abroad experience, students should view Florence as an important, complex city with a large role to play in modern Italy.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I never had any health issues during my stay here. My signora tended to blame all of my colds and stomachaches on too much studying, but for any student in need of any sort of outside health care, the office was always prepared to give advice and assistance. The Florentine hospitals, I hear, are very accommodating.

* Safety:

I felt safe the majority of my time in Florence. Things usually happen when students are caught off their guard or are drunk. I never heard of any student in the program being involved in any major incident. If students are observant and have common sense then there's really nothing to worry about.

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)

I usually spent more than I liked on food per week. I can blame gelato for that. If students, however, are on a strict, strict budget, it's relatively inexpensive to buy lunch at a nearby grocery store. I think students tend to spend the most on food. Winter and spring break trips can also be pricey, depending on where one goes. Budget airlines are quite helpful. I managed a month-long trip to Rome, Bavaria, and Prague just fine. And it was relatively inexpensive flying to London, Edinburgh, and Dublin for Spring Break using budget airlines.

* Was housing included in your program cost? Yes
* Was food included in your program cost? Yes
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? Roughly 30 euros, but then again, I ate pretty lightly.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? It's helpful to plan ahead for the week when it comes to buying lunch. A lot of students used their families' refrigerators to store food to bring for lunch. Some families also provide lunches (but this is rare). Booking hotels and airline tickets way ahead of time during planning for any trip is crucial to saving money.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

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

My host-family had very little English, and I always preferred to speak to them in Italian. I know that the Italian professors preferred if the students practiced their Italian amongst themselves, but this wasn't always easy. Students should never be afraid to use their Italian skills, even if they're coming to Italy without having any Italian. The office always spoke to me in Italian, and even with professors who taught primarily in English, Italian was found to be a welcome change.

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Intermediate
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Advanced
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? Explore. Go into various shops/parts of the city and just speak. It can be difficult and sometimes embarrassing, but really, the best thing a student can do is just speak and not focus on his/her errors. If it's hard striking up a conversation with an Italian outside of the program, the Sarah Florence professors alway seemed more than willing to hold conversations with their students in Italian. Reading the newspaper and switching to an Italian homepage on the computer is also helpful.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Florence, its breathtaking culture, its museums, its vibrant local scene
  • Sarah Florence professors-they are all absolutely brilliant!
  • The sense of community that was fostered amongst the students in the program (especially second semester); our program was small so it was very easy forge relationships with everyone
* What could be improved?
  • The frequency of opportunities to meet and interact with Italian students
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I'd known more Italian because it was difficult at first feeling comfortable using my Italian on a daily basis.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Advanced Italian

Course Department: Language
Instructor: Lorenzo Pubblici
Instruction Language: Italian
Comments: I found this class to be unforgettable and incredibly stimulating. Lorenzo is a very human, intelligent, and engaging professor. His love for the subject material and the class was always apparent. This galvanized the class and imparted to it a deeply constructive atmosphere where both students and professor were more than willing to pursue the beauty and complexity of the Italian language. Some lessons could be considered a bit unstructured, but any flaw was easily amended by the deep bonds that existed between Lorenzo and his students. I personally aided from all of my conferences during the year, not only on an academic level but also on a more emotional level as a student trying to become adjusted to my new surroundings. Personally and academically I grew with this class. Lorenzo did an excellent job providing support throughout the year, and he has an incredible knack for having his students learn and greatly improve their Italian skills without their ever being entirely conscious of it until the end. I truly, truly loved this class.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Art History

Course Department: Art History
Instructor: Mariantonia Rinaldi
Instruction Language: English/occasional Italian
Comments: I only audited this class, but regardless, I learned so much. Mariantonia is a brilliant if demanding professor. She clearly knows her stuff and at times can have trouble conveying concepts to students who have not yet acquired the level of knowledge that she has. This class, however, was very thorough in covering art from early Christian times up through the Renaissance. All of the greats were covered, and Mariantonia made sure to cover less well known, but no less important, artworks. She was also very adept at straddling theory, history, and technique. Her classes were not easy but weren't intended to be. They were intended to pose each piece of art studied against a highly complex background of contemporary events, philosophy, and religion. I found this class to be incredibly informative. And Mariantonia's appreciation for the art discussed was like a breath of fresh air. All of her classes felt relevant and were complex and stimulating. Mariantonia's various field trips throughout Florence allowed us to view masterpieces through a new, highly personal lens. Her trip to view Pontormo's masterpieces at three different Florentine churches was a highlight of the year. And though Mariantonia's class did not reach the Baroque, she made sure that we, on our trip to Rome, spent ample time in front of Caravaggio's and Bernini's masterpieces in the Galleria Borghese, Santa Maria del Popolo, and San Luigi dei Francesi. Amazing!
Credit Transfer Issues: