Istituto Lorenzo de Medici (IDM)

I went to Italy have never spoken Italian in my entire life. The Italians are so willing to help you out with the language and relish the opportunity to enhance their english by attempting to help you learn italian. If you go in with an open mind and embrace the culture and learning a new language there's no end to how much you can advance with the language. It's frustrating and difficult at first, as learning a new language always is. But if you're willing to continue to work at it you'll go far. The locals really appreciate you at least attempting to speak Italian, even if you're not even close. They see that as an extremely nice gesture on your part and will treat you accordingly and help you out with whatever you need in order to learn. Try and speak Italian as much as possible.

Classes in the Italian language were not the school's strongest point. Teaching methods largely focused on verbal instruction - but often resorted to using English, since many of the students in my class had little intention of learning the language well. My experiences in Italy, however, were greatly improved by sincere efforts I made to study the language on my own time, using the rather sparse written material on grammar and vocabulary that we were given. Such study was necessary, I found, not only to be cordial with native speakers in social situations, but were necessary for communicating with Italian people socially as peers, and as customers and guests and restaurants, shops, in train stations and on trains - to name just a few situations that inevitably arise.

During the academic sector of my stay in Italy I was being taught in English and interacted in English. In meeting local Italains and in stores, restaurants ect. I feel I became well accostomed to various phrases and words needed. When my inabitions were down I had an easier time expressing myself fully in Italian and feel I gained a good grasp of communicating to my current abilities.

The class went at a very fast rate which made it difficult to keep up with. Most Italians have a good grasp of English and don't like to communicate with you in Italian if you have a rudimentary knowledge. There were times that I did communicate in Italian, holding basic conversations.

The classes were taught both in English and in Italian so you could technically go and not learn the language excpet for one basic grammar class which was a disappointment to a language major.

As much as the the course was tought on English, I did not have any problems in study, but I wished I had more chances for learning Italyan at school too.