Stepping out of my comfort zone Past Review

By (University of Hartford) - abroad from 08/28/2018 to 11/19/2018 with

University of Georgia: Studies Abroad Program in Cortona, Italy

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
It was definitely worth it! I learned a lot and lost weight.

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 everyone was nice and have no issues with anyone personally. I just believe the overall experience would be better with better communication between uga and uhart.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Everyone was super nice!

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I would kill for my room back.

* Food:

Felt breakfast was lacking in options.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I just felt there should have been better ways to get basic medication for colds.

* Safety:

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

Despite my complaints I felt happy traveling and exploring away from home. I will take away life lessons and would want to return to cortona one day.

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)

This program needed to establish pricing for basics better.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? Too much.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Bring a debt and travel credit. You will thank yourself.

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

I have a book I kept for documenting conversational Italian but I learned how to order gelato.

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Beginner
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Beginner
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? Spanish 2 in high school but no Italian also I’m Hispanic
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? Keep trying even if you think your wrong, you will learn more from mistakes.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* 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?
  • Food
  • Culture
  • Experience
* What could be improved?
  • Communication
  • Accommodations
  • Breakfast
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? How much fees would kill my spending.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

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The Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Art History

Course Department: History
Instructor: Professor Griffith
Instruction Language: English
Comments: I felt Professor Grifth was very knowledgeable in her field and was overall very nice. As a professor I felt her standards were too high and hard to meet. Though yes she lectured in class we were responsible for our own notes and I was unable to keep up being a student with dyslexia. She also didn’t give us study guides for our test till a week before which consisted of 80 names of artist, exact dates, and titles of art pieces which only 10 would actually be on the test usually the most obscure ones. There was also about 30ish vocab words which we had to use in two essays on the test which was comparing and contrasting which we also had to use readings as a source with citations from memory. I feel like she would benefit from providing this information from day one so we know what’s important to pass. I did well in my previous art history with a high grade of a B+ but the hardest expectation to meet is one not exspressed and I barely scraped a C. An essay that is compare and contrast of two art pieces should be observation only and the factors of how short of time we have with other parts I have mentioned it was impossible for a lot of us to keep up. I felt the structure of the test was too hard and not focused on us learning the information. Readings, study guides should be included when sending info regarding the class.
Credit Transfer Issues: