SAI Programs: Florence University of the Arts Certificates

I spent Spring 2017 studying abroad in Florence, Italy- the land of pasta, gelato, rich with culture and my favorite city in the world! My decision to study abroad was one of the boldest and life changing experiences of my life. SAI gave me more than the experience of travel for a semester; it gave me perspective that I will carry forever. My study abroad experience in Florence and SAI gave me the opportunity to take the reins on my own journey and experience a once and a lifetime opportunity of travel and learning- something that I could never learn from a textbook or lecture. Going abroad to another part of the world is very nerve-racking, but I learned to embrace this adventure and realize its okay to move away from what I am familiar with.

Studying abroad with SAI was one of the best experiences I have had during my time in college. I studied at Florence University of the Arts to earn 6 credits. I took two classes during my three weeks in Florence in Italian and Street Photography. This program is special in the fact that it provides students with a terrific staff for support while giving them the freedom to explore and experience the culture on their own as well. In addition, each class has a corresponding field trip for out-of-the-classroom learning that enriches the experience for each student.

My semester abroad with SAI programs was one filled with happiness, adventure, great food, and friendly people. The SAI staff was so helpful and welcoming and made me feel comfortable to ask questions any time I needed help. The extra curricular programs they held were a good way to meet people and immerse yourself in the amazing Italian culture.

I figured I would only be abroad very few times in my lifetime and I wanted to make sure I got the most out of my experience. I traveled somewhere every single weekend, mostly throughout Italy, but 3 times to different countries. I am very happy with what I got to see and even had some unexpected places I went to. The only downside to traveling every weekend is that I did not really get to experience Florence as much and see everything to see there. SAI helped out more in the beginning and became harder to get a hold of as the semester went on but for the most part they were very helpful. What I liked about them was that they provided free excursions throughout the semester. My favorite one was Milan/Lake Como trip which was a weekend trip and they provided the hotel, some meals, transportation, and we even got to see "The Last Supper" and did not find that out till we were about to go in and see it. The school FUA was a decent school. The library and computer labs could have been accessible more hours during the week and weekend. The teachers were very friendly though and most were willing to help. The classes were taught in English but some of the teachers had a very strong accent, which is to be expected. Overall my experience was amazing and I would go back and do it again.

Not long enough to meet all different types of people.

Florence rocks!

Florence is beautiful but not the best place to study abroad, not a lot to do.

Florence was great! Small city so it isn't super overwhelming. Easy to find your way. Daniela at FUA is awesome!

I loved studying abroad in Florence, I just wish I was here longer than three weeks!!

I loved my semester in Florence, but I would not recommend SAI. Although my apartment was very nice, many of my friends experienced problems. I don't think the program did enough to get students to meet one another. We had one optional mixer the first week and then were basically on our own. Besides these issues, Florence is an amazing city and I easily had the best 4 months of my life.

There needed to be more student integration. All the apartments were spread all over Florence which made it difficult to get to know people.

Great time, saw all of Europe, only complaint would be apartments --> were packed in 8 people per apartment.

Experiencing. A different culture and meeting people from other school experiencing the same thing is life changing.

I loved everything about my study abroad experience. The only negative experiences I had involved the administration at FUA, but this was more due to the Italians' slow paced lifestyle than anything else. I made the best friends of my life and recommend this program to anyone looking for a positive, life-changing experience.

The program centered more on socializing than academics -- great for party people. Difficult if you want to learn -- especially Italian, terrible language programs.