63 reviews
4.38 / 5 based on 63 reviews
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Kate H
Occidental College, Los Angeles, United States
Language, Undergraduate, University Agreement
Student life
Describe host city:
Student life dominates the city
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Nightlife: Takes place mostly within the university/student environment
Travel: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment
Activities: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment
Personal social experience
Personal comments
I love the Tea Room and Bar Porrione. The Tea Room is great for a mellow night and Bar Porrione is the best place for cheap vino at night. Tutto Pizza and Pizzaland have the best pizza al taglio in the city.
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Kate H
Occidental College, Los Angeles, United States
Language, Undergraduate, University Agreement
Housing
Type of housing: Apartment/House
Arranged by: Home university
If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House
Why?
I loved having my own place in the city of Siena since it made me feel like I truly lived there. My one roomate was a Università degli Studi di Siena student from Albania who spoke fluent Italian so she helped us feel adapted to the new culture as well.
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Personal comments
I loved my apartment. There were 5 girls in 2 rooms and 1 girl in a single, but we rarely faught and had a lot of fun together. I had the most gorgeous view and everything in the apartment worked well. I loved my Albanian/Italian roomate, she helped us with the language and culture more than anything else.
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Kate H
Occidental College, Los Angeles, United States
Language, Undergraduate, University Agreement
Languages
Language of instruction: Italian
Was learning Italian a key decision factor?
Yes, I wanted to improve my Italian
How much did you improve your Italian?
My level before: Basic phrases
My level after: Everyday knowledge (shopping, directions, etc.)
Language difficulties
Administrative / Institutional
Personal comments
I had many American friends which made my learning slower than it would have been if I was with only Italians. Still, I progressed a lot thanks to the course and the wonderful city.
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Kate H
Occidental College, Los Angeles, United States
Language, Undergraduate, University Agreement
Academic
Course recommendations
I loved Pazit Barki, my professor. The CET Academic Program classes' professors could have been better, as well as English resources for those courses.
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My academic experiences
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with international students
Interaction with local students
My opinion of the university assessment
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
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Kate H
Occidental College, Los Angeles, United States
Language, Undergraduate, University Agreement
Expenses
Main source of funding:
Family
Other sources of funding:
Family<br>
Other
Work opportunities:
I didn't explore any work options
Personal spending habits
I traveled a lot more and the cell phone was incredibly expensive. I also cooked more than I do at home and I feel grocery items are cheaper, so I saved there. Nightlive at home is also very expensive and Siena is a very cheap city, luckily for it.
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Travel, Overall, Telephone:
was more expensive than at home.
Housing:
was the same price as at home.
Food, Nightlife:
was less expensive than at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
Personal comments
The exchange rate is awful. The cell phones are incredibly expensive to call other countries. I suggest finding a way to have internet in your living space so that you can use Skype instead of cell phones for longer conversations.
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Kate H
Occidental College, Los Angeles, United States
Language, Undergraduate, University Agreement
Overall
I wish I had known...
In Italy, nothing functions without problems. Be prepared for bumps along the way, all the time.
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In my opinion:
Everybody loved it, you will too!
Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
Personal recommendation
CET Academic programs could do a better job of integrating students with the Università per Stranieri di Siena students as well as with the regular Università di Siena students.
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During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot
Became familiar with another culture
Met people from other countries
Experienced a change in life
Advanced my studies & career
Final comments
I LOVED Siena and Italy. I want to come back more than anything. Take every opportunity you can and you'll never regret them.
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