204 reviews
4.14 / 5 based on 204 reviews
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roannal
Housing
Type of housing: Apartment/House
Arranged by: Independently - I had no other choice
If returning, I would choose: student halls
Why?
It is much better to live with foreign students in order to improve ones language ability.
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Personal comments
There is only one tiny halls of residence which is very hard to get in to. Appartments in the town are ok overall though, but are a little hard to find for foreigners. There should have been an accomodation office of some sort in order to help students find accomodation so that they do not need to pay out for an agency.
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roannal
Student life
Describe host city:
Students interact with the local community without much university involvement
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Nightlife, Activities, Travel: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment
Personal social experience
Personal comments
Most nightclubs are outside of Arezzo, so its best to get to know locals with cars! Our regular night spot was Gregory´s pub/bar which is past the train station. During the Summer the cafe at the very top of the hill is full of people, has a good atmosphere and has a good view, especially by night. Arezzo wave, a large festival in June is definitely worth going to. It usually has some good acts (eg. Moby when I was there)and its FREE!!
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roannal
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: Did not speak it
My level after: At ease in most situations
Language difficulties
Administrative / Institutional
Personal comments
At first it was very difficult, as Arezzo is not a very ´studenty´ town, and so living with other English students, I did not get the chance to practice my Italian properly for some time. However, once I eventually made friends with the locals my level improved dramatically.
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roannal
Expenses
Main source of funding:
An ERASMUS grant
Other sources of funding:
An ERASMUS grant<br>
Other
Work opportunities:
I worked during my study abroad experience
Personal spending habits
Food and travel is a lot cheaper in Italy, however I spent more on trains overall, as I went to visit many different places. I spent less on going out, as the nightlife is a little more tame in Arezzo than a buzzing English University.
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Telephone, Travel:
was more expensive than at home.
Overall, Housing:
was the same price as at home.
Nightlife, Food:
was less expensive than at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
Personal comments
Opening a bank account is quite costly and complicated. Its probably best just to use your own card and get out reasonably big sums at a time and look after it.
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roannal
Overall
I wish I had known...
That Arezzo is actually quite small and does not have the same student life as the main part of Siena University in Siena.
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In my opinion:
I loved it but I'm not sure everybody would.
Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
Personal recommendation
I personally would have prefered a larger University with more going on. If you quite like a quiet life and are there to study lots rather than meet people and speak the language, then it is probably a good place to go.
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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
Try and live with local students, and when you go to lectures do not sit with other English students, but start speaking to the locals around you, as you really have to be confident and approach them to make friends. Once you do so, your stay there will be so much more fun!
Arezzo is a great place to travel from, as its well situated in the middle of Tuscany. Definitely worth going to is Cinque Terra (although stay in La Spezia, as it is much cheaper)and Cortona (great views).
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roannal
Academic
Course recommendations
Bigazzi is probably the best lecturer there. He is very charismatic and enthusiatic and has a good rapport with his pupils.
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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