SIS Semester and Summer in Siena, Italy

I had a great experience with Siena Italian Studies. The program had wonderful teachers and I was incredibly immersed in Italian language and culture. Our host family was welcoming, friendly, and supportive. Siena remains one of my favorite places in Italy. I can’t wait to visit again!

Studying in Siena through SIS was the single best decision I’ve ever made for myself. Living with a host family allowed me to truly immerse myself in the culture and - more importantly - make connections that will last a lifetime. My language skills skyrocketed, and I learned so much about history, chemistry, and more. I envy anybody who gets to go.

I feel I truly grew so much as a person from my time abroad. I became more independent, confident, and made relationships to last a life time. Aside from learning a new language, I learned countless life experiences that I will use for the rest of my life.

I can not say enough good things about SIS. It was the best time of my life. I participated in Summer 2022 and it was incredible. It was awesome seeing the events leading up to the Palio and the palio itself. We had 10 people total for the first summer after covid and we all became very close and took weekend trips together. The staff is so supportive and nice. They really challenge you to learn. I will say you need to be a more motivated student to do this program, especially if you do not know Italian because the courses are taught in Italian. However, I really enjoyed this aspect coming in as a beginner as I was able to see myself improve. My host family was so sweet and I loved living with them. I think about my summer abroad every day and am constantly wishing I could go back. If you have the chance to do this program....do it!!

I took the gap year program in the spring 2022 semester. In spite the limitations posed by of the pandemic, SIS' wonderful team staff managed to organize excursions and activities so I feel like I got to know Tuscany and Italy well. really liked our classes as they were extremely hands-on and the topics we learned had much to do with what we were experiencing, like medieval History and art. The service learning/volunteering experience was also great as I got to interact with local vulnerable communities and practice my Italian. My favorite part was the host family. I feel like it really helped me to improve my Italian by a lot, and I created a stronger bond with Italy and learn more about the culture. My host family was always extremely nice, making me feel comfortable 100% of the time, and the food at their home was amazing.

I did Siena Italian Studies about 5 years ago and I think about my experience every single day. I have returned a few times and everyone is so friendly and welcoming even still. It’s really a family. The activities that we did were so amazing like when we went to the alps to ski, had a wine tasting class, and went to the beach. Our program set us up with awesome families that fed us well. Our classes were as challenging as you wanted them. There were some offered for beginning Italian learners and some for intermediate and advanced. In the end you get to take the CILS exam which is really nice because you have some documented proof you actually learned some Italian! This program was one of the highlights of my life so far!

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I spent a spring semester with Siena Italian Studies as a gap year student when I was 19 years old and I can tell you that this is the best study abroad program you can attend. I didn't know any Italian when I left for Siena and when I came back for college in the US I chose it as my major and received my degree in Italian Studies. It doesn't matter if you are a beginner or already advanced in Italian, Siena provides the perfect setting for learning or improving your language skills. The teaching at Siena Italian Studies is also unmatched. The Town of Siena Siena is the perfect town in which to live. It is relatively small, which makes getting around town a breeze. The people of Siena are also extremely kind and always willing to help you out. Siena is absolutely beautiful and is in the center of Italy's best wine regions. The food and wine is unparalleled and the hospitality makes you feel right at home. Host Families SIS is well connected with many families that host the students. The program has had long relationships with all of the host families, so the families know how to handle exchange students very well. I loved living with my host family and they made me feel right at home. I still keep in touch with them constantly and visit when I can after six years. Host families are also extremely helpful in practicing Italian and learning more about Italian culture, things to do in Siena, etc. Classes The classes are very well taught and the course subjects are extremely interesting. I was able to take a business class that actually introduced me to the business school in Milan where I now attend. The language classes may seem like a lot, but it is all worth it. From knowing no Italian at the beginning, I was able to have detailed conversations with my host family near the end of the semester. SIS Administration Siena Italian Studies makes it extremely easy for students to get their visas, permit of stays, bus passes, etc. In fact, the organization pretty much takes care of everything. These processes are not very easy and now living in Milan and doing them myself, I can see how lucky I was to have had SIS take care of most of the administrative issues for me. As I said before, SIS is also extremely well connected with the Siena community, so if you have any opportunities or worries in mind, just ask them because I'm sure they will know someone in the town to help out! Do not hesitate to study abroad with Siena Italian Studies. It was one of the best experiences I have ever had!

You really don't get any better than SIS. I was I their Siena program, and ever since I left I have been counting down the days until I can go back. I was never left with unanswered questions during the application and pre travel time. The pick up from the airport and transportation to Siena was flawless. Then my actual experience....I could go on and on about my time in Siena and that wouldn't be enough. It's a beautiful city full of beautiful people. The SIS staff was so helpful. I would recommend this program 11/10 times.

My most memorable experiences involved the festivities surrounding the Palio. Seeing contrada life up close is something that not many outsiders have the opportunity to do, so I felt very lucky to be able to go to contrada dinners and parties, etc. I chose this program because I didn't have time for a full semester, and Siena Italian Studies was highly recommended for me by my advisers at Ohio State. I lived with a host family outside the city of Siena. I had a roommate and two host parents. I felt very comfortable in the apartment that I lived in.

So, I throughly enjoyed my two months in Siena, Italy. I would recommend the program to students who are not just looking for a vacation, but want to learn a decent amount about the language and culture of Italy.

SIS was everything I could've hoped for. I was a Gap Year student when I enrolled, and it was initially pretty intimidating to be the youngest in the program. Those fears were swept away immediately when the faculty, other students, and my homestay family made me feel completely welcome. The academics were challenging but not overwhelming, and I felt that my schedule had a well-rounded balance of work and play, which consisted of exploring Siena, travel elsewhere, nightlife, etc. I had the time of my life with SIS and credit them so much with making a Gap Year student feel years older in maturity.

My experience at SIS was so incredible that it now seems unreal. I was a bit weary leaving for Italy with only one semester of Italian under my belt, but the staff at SIS made the transition less stressful. Although speaking Italian was challenging at times, it was amazing how much I progressed in such a short period of time. The most indispensable part of the program was being able to live with host families. My experience would have never been the same without it. Not only did it help with learning Italian, but I honestly feel that I became a part of their family and will keep in contact for years to come. At times I was frustrated with the required courses other than Italian, but the fact that I was in Italy made me see the positive side of everything. The amount of work required outside of class was light, which allowed for more time to immerse ourselves in Italian culture through volunteering, traveling, going out, and spending time with our host families and friends. I wish I could stay in Siena forever!

I had a great time in Siena. I came to the program with a relatively high level of Italian knowledge, but my ability to communicate grew exponentially in the semester I spent there. I loved my host family and all of my teachers, and I would not change a thing about my abroad experience. I also think the volunteering aspect of the SIS program really helps you become more a part of the local community instead of remaining a foreigner for the entire semester, sequestered in dorms with other English-speaking students. I think this program is amazing for anyone looking to really improve their language skills as well as to develop a deeper understanding of the Italian, specifically Sienese culture.

SIS was an incredible experience that i had the privilege to be a part of. I lived with a great family, the cultural immersion was beyond comparison, for setting students, such as myself, up with incredible relations with locals through schools, shops, and families.The Art History class I took while in Siena was one of my favorite class to date. SIS showed me everything to love in Siena. I couldn't be happier with the experience i had many thanks to SIS.

I had a blast adapting to the Italian culture. It was a shock, but that was expected. The longer I stayed the more I liked it! The school's professors are unique and work with you to make the most of your experience in Siena. I would return immediately to visit the cool places and hang out with the friends I made there. Definitely worth it!

SIS does an amazing job putting the program together. At first, being fully immersed in the local culture is daunting, but if you are open to it, as SIS understands, it is the most conductive way to thoroughly learn Italian language and culture. SIS provides many opportunities to not only learn through their academic courses, but through interactions with host families, and through community involvement through service. Everyone on the SIS staff is helpful and friendly. If you're looking for the Italian experience, and not the stereotypical American Italian experience, SIS is the way to go.

This program does a great job of immersing students in the Sienese and broader Italian culture. If you put your best effort forward as a student of Italian and try to use the many opportunities around you on the program (the most important of which is your host family) to practice your Italian, you will learn an incredible amount. The Italian teacher I had did a fabulous job. Most of the staff at the program are helpful and passionate about what they are trying to do at SIS. Giovanni the art history professor for my semester is a wonderful resource for the program. Academics: If you are coming here to learn Italian then wonderful! You will learn a lot. All other academics are not very challenging and not that interesting. This is the weakest point of the program. Having said that, I don't think a study abroad program should necessarily be about academics. It is more about immersion and cultural exposure and experience which is what this program is great at.

Past the clichés often used to describe studying abroad, I do genuinely feel like the experiences of this time have genuinely enhanced the scope of how I can understand the world as a result of the change in perspective that I have been fortunate with which to experiment during my time hereFor all my experiences and observations discussed above, my approach throughout the semester has been that of a student. It is a role with which I am familiar, and is the role that I assumed I would be playing when I arrived in Italy. I didn’t expect to be taking a break from my studies – rather, I hoped to use my experience as a traveler as a supplement for continuing study. To my surprise, the role of student was not the role emphasized here. Of course, we all took classes, and participated in the routine of study with which we were all familiar, but the all-consuming experience of scholarship that I encounter and love at college in the United States was simply not present or available here. I do understand that the limitations of place and academic institutions in Italy make it impossible for the same level of study to exist for me here. However, I do wish that I had spent this time, an eighth of my college career, in an environment that forced me to formulate my ideas carefully and support my ideas with the constructions that academia has in place to create civilized, intellectual discourse. In order for these constructions to be practiced, both sides of the discourse must recognize their validity and take them seriously, a reality that certainly was rarely the case here. I have had a remarkable experience, and do not wish to diminish everything that I have learned, but I do believe that if one is participating in higher education as a student, teacher, or administrator, he or she should take seriously the responsibility of exchanging ideas.

The SIS program, from what it seems, has come very far from humble beginnings. However, I feel that the program has a long way to go still. Yes, they are better than most study abroad programs because of the atmosphere they create, which give family like values in a foreign country. However, they do not treat all of their students consistently, and do play favorites. The staff should not separate themselves further from the students, but maintain the same level of friendship with all students. One large way this can be achieved is by not allowing the student body gossip to influence the teachers perspectives. All teachers should be serious while in class with students, and aim for the goal of ALWAYS speaking Italian in order to help students earn the highest level of language development possible while abroad. The place where the language was LEAST spoken was within the SIS program and this should certainly not be the case. With a little more effort and constant support of the students, SIS can become the idealized goal they aim for.

I enjoyed this program very much. This program has a major focus on "cultural immersion." Because of this, I was still able to have a good time since I did not grow close to many of the students. I was on my own a lot of the time, so because of the focus on immersing, I was able to go out and meet other Europeans, and act more like a European. I also made friends from the service opportunities the school had. The program did a good job providing ways to become part of the culture, which I think is a major part of being abroad. The program truly helps you to grow as a person, whether or not you are alone. Academics: I learned fairly well in my classes that I took, but I was not offered the classes I wanted. Before becoming a part of this program, I saw the classes offered, and there were many I wanted to take. When I got to Italy, none of the ones I wanted were offered, and I ended up taking very few courses. Living Situation: I really wanted to live with a family, but I lived with one elderly woman, and another student in the program. I was a bit upset at first, but I did enjoy my time with her. My roommate did not. The other students absolutely loved their housing arrangements. Overall, the program did a good job putting the students into a welcoming home, but I believe they could still do better. Cultural Immersion: This was a primary focus of the program, and they did a very good job trying to get us to be a part of the Italian culture. We went on various trips to different cities which helped to learn about the culture. Program Administration: They were all very kind, and very knowledgable when it came to transportation, and any other question you may have. They were very helpful when it came to offering places to go, and how to get there.