CET Italy

As a midyear student, I participated in the CET Florence Program during my very first semester of college. Everything about the experience of being abroad was brand new to me, but I was so ready to get going! I spent my semester studying in bars (the Italian word for a caffe), walking the city, attending classes at CET and traveling around Italy and Europe. There were a few parts of the program I found particularly challenging: first of all, the program is very small. If a cohort just doesn't click, it can be difficult to find close friends. That was my experience, and it pushed me to truly learn how to travel on my own and how to be productive and happy in my own routines. Second, the program is organized so that there is a 10 day fall break during which students are entirely responsible for figuring out travel plans. This was especially difficult for me because I did not find a group of friends I wanted to travel with, and my family did not come and visit. I also have never had experience planning my own trips before as a freshman in college. The CET staff are absolutely incredible whenever you need help academically or in terms of travel ideas and tips, so they were my primary resource for places to go and things to see! Some of my favorite parts of the CET experience included connecting with Florence through my Renaissance art history course, meeting Italian high school and university students, and enjoying some of the best food I have ever eaten during the Italian Food and Culture course. All in all, I came back to the states with more confidence and a stronger sense of independence than I knew I could have, some of the best travel stories and experiences ever, and I had fallen deeply in love with Florence.

My semester abroad was unique in that I was doing it my first semester of freshman year. This is not normally an experience that many have but my university offers it. I admit I was nervous going in but as soon as I arrived I began to relax. The friends that I met and the staff at CET made the program all the more enjoyable and safe and made me realize I had nothing to worry about. The classes are academically challenging but not overbearing and I was able to travel around Europe often while keeping up with my work. The staff at CET were very helpful in helping me to integrate into Italian society and made the whole experience that much smoother. I met many friends, both locals and other study abroad students alike, and I can definitely say one should not fear being isolated during an experience like this. This semester has easily been the highlight of my life so far, and even though it is not an easy thing to uproot one's life and live in another country, I would 100% recommend the CET program in Florence.

Overall, I enjoyed my time in this program. Florence is a beautiful city and I’ve definitely gotten attached. The food was amazing, and nothing beats a cappuccino for €1 when you’re used to starbucks gouging you $5 for the same thing, but with subpar coffee. On the academic front, I found both my Italian classes and my film classes to be challenging. But the most challenging part of the program overall was the schedule. When NYFA classes began, i had class Monday-Friday from 9:30-6:30. In addition to the crazy fast deadlines for projects, this created some stress. However, it was worth it in the end. I learned so much about filmmaking and this course has helped me grow a lot as an artist. All of the faculty and staff on this program were so helpful in facilitating this growth. I do wish, though, that there had been more people in the program. It would have been nice to have more people to mingle with.

So a lot of people ask me why I chose to study abroad in Italy and honestly its a very boring answer... I just picked whatever program gave me what I needed in terms of credits. Which is super awesome that I can easily transfer my credits from CET to my current school but also I had no idea what to expect. I didn't speak a single word of Italian and knew absolutely nothing about the Italian culture. And now looking back, I feel so incredibly grateful to have been able to have this experience.

CET was the best choice for me because of my academic credits I was able to receive and also because of all the resources they provided for me. I took two classes there. One was an Italian Food and Culture class where we took field trips every week to a chocolate tasting, cooking class, wine tasting, olive oil vineyard, etc. It was just an amazing experience being able to do those things because it allowed me to further immerse myself in the Italian culture. And also, I probably would not have done those things on my own. I learned so much about the Italian culture and it was so great being able to live in their country and truly understand everything because of what I was learning in my class. The other class I took was a beginner Italian class and my teacher was one of the best people I met on my trip! She was like my second mom abroad.

The whole of CET staff while I was there was just so considerate and accommodating. They were there for you for anything! They truly understand the mindset of someone who is going abroad in a foreign country and won't hesitate to help you out with whatever you needed from restaurant recommendations, safety tips, and travel tips as well. They wanted me to make the most of everything there and I truly feel like I did because of their help.

The best part of my trip was the my apartment. It was so nice not having to deal with finding an apartment on my own. They worked out all those details and I also decided to go with random roommates within the program because I didn't know anyone else going abroad. The apartment was in a great location and very close to everything I needed. The best part about the apartment was how lucky I was to have met three other incredibly great friends! We travelled together every weekend, ate every meal together, and honestly just spent every second together.

I had no idea that when I went abroad I would get back such a rewarding experience. I honestly don't think it would have been the same if I had done a different program because they everyone at CET in Florence was so helpful and understanding. I think that's really important when you're deciding to do something you've never done before.

As an international student in US, I thought I already knew what it would be like to study abroad, but studying in Florence was a totally different and amazing experience! The balance between academic work and extracurricular activities was great. The professors were all so passionate. For my renaissance art history class, we went to different museums almost every week. For other class such as wine studies, we also had field trips to go to wineries, enoteche and restaurants. The courses were conducted in the way that students could learn the core materials from the everyday life, as well as learnt about the Italian culture.
The staffs on the program also gave me a lot of help. They also gave me a lot of good and valuable suggestions when I lived there. For example, once I was trying to get a second-hand guitar there. They searched online for me and wrote down how to get there with lots of details to make sure I would not get lost. I still remember they always greeted everyone warmly with smile and I still appreciate and miss them a lot!
The other part that I really enjoyed a lot was the home stay. I lived in a cute and great family. I was able to experience the local Italian people's life. Cooking with the family and talking with them about the life in school was very heartwarming. They also helped me connected to the neighborhood by introducing their friends to me. The days staying with them were probably one of the most important and memorable time in my life. And I can't wait to go back to see them.
CET Florence helped me broaden my view, make more new friend and I really enjoy my time studying there!

I enjoyed how the program had 3 different schools that were taking the same classes. It gave everyone an opportunity to interact with students and form friendships with individuals that we may not have ever met. However, they did segregate the classes depending on which school you attended which didn't give an opportunity to collaborate during class.

My CET experience was very unique and something I will never forget. Through CET Florence, I gained a better understanding of cultures different than I’ve ever interacted with. The immersive classroom setting was a great way to retain more knowledge. Housing was probably one of my favorite parts of the whole program. My roommates and I lucked out on a very cute apartment in a very authentic neighborhood of Florence. On top of all this, CET’s program helped me become more self-sufficient and independent.

My time in Florence was absolutely incredible. I had great housing with a central location so it was easy to explore, and I got to see a beautiful view of the Ponte Vecchio on my way to class every day. There was a fairly wide variety of classes to take, so every student could find things they were interested in. Many of the classes made a large effort to interact with the local environment in order to differentiate the classes from ones at home, and that was a really great way to see differences between the US and Italy. The staff was all very friendly and nice, and Giada (Student Life and Services Coordinator) even took me out to coffee a few times to help me practice my Italian! I wouldn't trade this experience for anything in the world and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in a wonderful semester in Florence.

Going to Siena in Spring 2019 was an irreplaceable time of growth and learning for me. I highly recommend this program because of the individual care for students, and the opportunities offered to have genuine and meaningful cultural experiences. The teachers challenge students an optimal level to where they learn a lot but are not stressed. Additionally, there is bountiful cultural diversity within Italy, with Swiss, German, Austrian, Greek, and French amongst other influences being present (region dependent). From Siena, students can bus or train to just about any of these areas, which is much more cost-effective than flying, but offers a similar experience to traveling to each of these places. The stereotype about food is completely correct, and it is worth coming to Siena for this reason alone. I would like to add that if you do select this program, I highly recommend doing a homestay because the families are very kind, they make amazing food, and its consistent and direct cultural interaction.