Enlightening Past Review
By Kacie (University of Nevada, Reno) - abroad from 05/21/2018 to 06/28/2019 with
USAC Italy: Viterbo - Intensive Italian Language, History, and the Arts
Living on my own and gaining more knowledge on how to handle situations that I wouldn't be faced with day to day back home. It was definitely worth it and beyond wonderful to see such beautiful places.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
There was a wide range of courses to pick from. The ones I choose were very interesting and related a lot to the history of the Viterbo. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Very friendly and welcoming. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
There was a few issues when we first moved and had to change apartments but after that it was easy access to the university and city and felt like it was in a safer area. |
| * Food: |
The food was good, but as a person who has dietary issues and was reassured there would be plenty of places to eat there wasn't and I had to cook most of my meals and was left out of going to eat with the group. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Everyone was very welcoming and helped a lot with getting to know the culture and language. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had no experience with the health care, but the RD's there were very helpful with information of what to do. |
| * Safety: |
I felt pretty safe for the trip and never uncomfortable, but the first apartment we lived in within the city felt a little unsafe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
For my dietary issues I felt like it was a big problem that I wasn't able to eat for the majority of the six weeks I was there unless I cooked myself food, but I wanted to try food and go out. So next time I would chose a bigger city where it's more common to see an easy access to a wide range of food. I also would be more inclined to take different classes. |
Finances
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* 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 wasn't expecting to have to buy water everyday or get cases of water every few days, so that cut into my budget while abroad, but other than that the expenses were reasonable. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
Very encouraging and helpful in learning the language. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | That we had to buy our water, I would of saved more and made more room to think about it in my spending. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
