Franklin College

Switzerland is a VERY expensive country. Make sure you have a large savings prort to going here. You can spend about $30 just for a basic meal at a restaurant. Also, the school offers a "meal plan" for about $900. This is basically a ripoff when you can go across the street from the school and buy a GREAT sandwich for only $4. The best way to go is get a meal card and put money in it, that way you can eat at the school on those rainy days. Nightlife is also expensive. Be prepared to pay $8 for a shot or $7 for a mix drink.

Being a tourist hot-spot, EVERYTHING in Lugano is outragously expensive. Having limited funds, I opted to shop around and buy food at grocery stores rather than eat out. If you're smart about it, you can manage on a decent budget. Housing was included so it's hard to say how it compares, but I'd imagine it'd be expensive if not arranged through Franklin. Although admittance to clubs is free for Franklin students, drinks are crazy expensive. It's much more economical to pre-load with a cheap bottle of wine. My basic philosophy was to cut costs on food and partying and really take advantage of the travel opportunities. While academic travel is offered during the year, summer session students had no problem what-so-ever arranging once in a lifetime budget friendly adventures.

So much more!! It is insanely costly