IES Abroad Milan - Italy Today : Testimonials (Milan)
The following program testimonial responses have been selected for publication by Office of International Programs
We want to hear about your experience!
What was your favorite aspect of this program?
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One of my favorite aspects of this program was the "intensive period" that took place the first two weeks of the program. During the intensive period, everybody took three hours of Italian Monday-Thursday. Regular classes didn't start until after the intensive period. This was really beneficial as it helped me learn the language faster and made it easier to communicate with the locals, which in turn made me feel safer and more comfortable in Milan. Another one of my favorite aspects of this program was that there was no class on most Fridays. This allowed for more time to travel which was a really important part of studying abroad for me.
— Avery Jucksch, Fall 2017 |
What was your housing situation like?
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During my semester abroad, I lived in an apartment with five other American students and one Italian native who served as our Community Assistant (CA). My apartment was able to house the seven of us comfortably (four bedrooms, three bathrooms) and had all of the necessary amenities such as a dishwasher, fridge, stove, oven, washer/dryer, air conditioning, etc. It was located in a very nice, higher-end neighborhood and both the main door, as well as my apartment door were locked at all times and required three different keys to unlock, which made me feel very safe. I also felt very safe walking around in the area surrounding my apartment, even at night, which was another important factor for me. I didn't know any of my house-mates before moving in but I loved living with all of them and we became very close friends by the end. We still stay in touch and are planning to visit each other. My CA was very friendly and was almost like our mom-away-from-home. She was older than most CAs (28) so rather than being in school like many of the others, she had a full-time job. Even with the long hours that she worked, she was still able to help us with most everything we needed. Overall, I was very satisfied with my housing during my semester abroad.
— Avery Jucksch, Fall 2017 |
What was your favorite class and why?
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My favorite class in Milan was a psychology class focusing on the differences in the Italian Healthcare System and the American Healthcare System, with an emphasis on mental health (Italian and American Approaches to Mental Health: a Comparative Study of the Bio-Psycho-Social Model). Being a psychology major who is also pre-law, this course was really interesting and applicable to me. The first half of the course focused on the government structure of the different healthcare systems, while the second half delved into the justice system and how crime among the mentally ill is handled. As a field trip for the course, we went to San Vittore, a local jail in Milan. There we were able to tour the jail, talk to some guards an prison counselors, and get an inside perspective of what life is like for criminals. I also really loved my professor, Dr. Caterina Zaiontz. I took two different psychology classes with her during my time in Milan and she quickly became one of my favorite professors. I was immediately amazed at the amount of information she knew and how much of an expert she was on everything she discussed. In the rare case that a student asked a question that she did not know the answer to, she researched it and had a thorough answer by the next class. Lastly, Dr. Zaiontz is British-Italian and is married to an American so she was very fluent in English and only had a little accent, making it easy to understand her.
— Avery Jucksch, Fall 2017 |