As I sit here and reminisce on my semester in Florence, Italy last spring, I have to thank the CEA Program for truly making my 4 months abroad the best months of my life. Here are 10 reasons how they helped to do that:
1. Variety of Schools
Unlike study abroad programs that are provided through your own university, CEA is filled with students from many different schools. Not only do you have the chance to live with students from across the country, but you also are attending classes and spending your time throughout the semester with them as well. My study abroad experience has left me with lifelong friends ranging from Indiana University, to Boulder, to University of Michigan, to Cornell, and many more. This was always a huge benefit that the CEA program had, allowing you to create friendships with new people, and better the experience of studying abroad and stepping out of your comfort zone.
2. Living Situation
Before going abroad, CEA gives you the opportunity to request your roommates, and whether you would like to live in a co-ed apartment as well. You have the chance to request people that you know from your school, or you can be placed with roommates from other Universities if you’d like to. CEA also places all of the students in great areas of the city you are studying in. The apartments are spread out enough that you get to experience different parts of the city, yet each one has a unique neighborhood surrounding it. Although the programs that place you in a family’s home are great for adapting into a new culture, it's nice to be with college students who you can explore the new city with, and even conveniently plan trips with to other countries together.
3. The Staff/Teachers
Every one of the teachers is so helpful, and the administration staff is just as helpful too. Whether it was a broken shower, needing to know where to buy pillows, needing a translator at the hospital (I unfortunately needed this), and just about anything to help you adapt to your life in a foreign country, they are there for you. The teachers make it exciting to come to class, and make an impression that will last forever. They all made a point to get to know us all on personal levels, and we were comfortable going to them with anything we needed to talk about. The teachers kept the classes fun, while teaching us about topics we never had the opportunity to learn about in our college careers. I know the students of my program still dearly miss many of the teachers and staff we had the pleasure of knowing.
4. Amazing Trips Provided
This was a huge benefit of CEA. As I mentioned before, I studied abroad in Florence, Italy, and during our first week there we were treated to a welcoming trip to the beautiful overlook of the city, Piazzale Michelangelo, with the most delicious lunch at a restaurant nearby. We were also provided with a trip to the nearby town of Fiesole to view a solar eclipse, Sorrento, Pompeii, Naples, and even to Salerno to see the production of Buffalo Mozzarella (and taste the freshly made cheese). Not to mention, all of these trips included some of our best meals, and we were even provided food at school as well. Although I was there to live in Florence, the CEA program helped me to explore many parts of Italy. They assisted in helping us figure out how to travel to and from other towns in Italy that we desired to go to, and if it weren’t for CEA I would not have seen some of the most beautiful, historic parts of Italy.
5. Helpful Resources
The CEA program served as a helpful resource for everything within our transition. We were provided with transportation to and from our airport upon arrival and departure, and also met by an assistant to get us settled in. All of the teachers or staff were always excited to give recommendations for places to eat, where we could shop, and of any specific events happening in town. They would assist us on figuring out which mode of transportation was best at all times. Any apartment issues were always taken care of immediately, and, trust me, the appliances in Europe tend to need some fixing pretty often. Other than the resources provided by the staff themselves, within the program’s school there were many computers for doing work, printers, a study lounge, and desks all around for completing our homework and assignments. Other than being assisted personally, we were also provided with multiple pamphlets and flyers giving helpful tips for adapting, where to find things in the area, and of all the surrounding towns that we should visit and the sites to see once you get there.
6. Interesting Classes
A lot of the classes are not what you are used to back in the States, and depending on the course schedule you choose, they may relate more or less to things you have learnt in the past. This is nice though because you get to learn so many interesting things that you may have never had the opportunity to take a class about in the US. For example, in Italy we were offered a Fashion Marketing class, and we had the amazing opportunity to go to trade shows that designers’ buyers were going to, as well as go on tours throughout stores such as Salvatore Ferragamo, Miu Miu, Luisa via Roma, and the Gucci Museum. The classes provided by CEA are not only educational, but also keep your attention with the topics that are taught and discussed. With fun songs to help you learn the language, and field trips to provide a hand on learning experience, I could only wish that my classes in college were that engaging.
7. The Espresso Machine
This may only apply to my fellow Florence students, but this machine deserves some praise. The CEA school in Florence had a coffee/espresso machine in our school hallway that got us through a lot of mornings, and pretty much all times of the day. Italy unfortunately lacked large cups of regular coffee, so we were always in need of a visit (or 5) to the espresso machine right down the hall. (There’s also a vending machine with snacks right next to it and they are somewhat similar to American snacks, so that was very convenient.)
8. Cultural Experience
Being in a foreign country, it’s important to learn and understand the culture there in order to adapt. Again, the classes were fabulous at helping us become cultured. We were also required by CEA to meet with an Italian student multiple times to learn more about what they do in their day-to-day lives, see where they attend school, walk around the city, and to communicate with them in Italian for practice. CEA not only helped to make us feel comfortable, but also helped us to really become truly adapted even so far away from home. Some of the apartments that students lived in were placed in the less-touristy area, so it gave all of the students a reason to spend time in the places where the locals were and lived. This gave a real sense of culture, as it was rare to find an American or a tourist on this side of town.
9. Safety and Care of the Students
The safety of all their students is a top priority for CEA. During orientation we had safety lessons given by the American Embassy, the CEA program leaders, and even the local police. Other than orientation, there was an emergency phone where the staff could be reached at all times. If any student were to be injured and need medical assistance, the CEA staff is sure to be by the side of the student as soon as they can be. The school even collected your mail and packages for you so there was not a chance of it being lost or stolen. Without having your parents in the same country, or them able to get to you quickly, these things helped to provide a sense of comfort for all of the students. By the end of the four months, all of the people in my program were very close with the staff and teachers, and have even kept communication since our departure from abroad.
10. The School Itself
Speaking with students that have studied in other cities through CEA such as Barcelona, I know that Florence is not the only city that CEA has the most perfect location for the school. The Florence location is placed in a busy center of town so you can take a 3-5 minute walk from school to get food (which we did often), or to shop for groceries at the market, clothes at all of the popular stores, or even to go see historical places in the city such as the massive Duomo. The program makes sure to place their school centers in safe, popular, and beautiful locations. The school building itself was a happy place to go to. It was nice to go to the single school location and be able to see all of your classmates and students within the program. This made meeting up for homework and outside school plans very easy, and we were always happy to hangout in the hallways in between classes. I think the CEA Florence staff knows that Spring 2015 had plenty of fun every day in that hall. It was almost like high school, only better.
The experience I had through the CEA program is irreplaceable. The friendships I created that span across the country are unimaginable. And if I could do it all over again, I would not change a single thing.
At CEA, we know the idea of studying abroad can be daunting and confusing. This is why we provide an unparalleled student-first personalized experience to make it as easy as possible. Admissions counselors and specialists are dedicated to help you through each step of the process; from application and pre-departure, to providing top educational and cultural experiences in a safe environment. CEA provides study abroad education programs for U.S. university students looking to earn college credit from fully accredited programs in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia.
