Location
- Italy
- Siena
Length
12 - 26 weeks
Need-based funding, Merit-based funding, General grants/scholarships, Payment plans, LGBTQIA+ funding, BIPOC funding
Health & Safety
Dec 09, 2024
Oct 25, 2019
1 traveler is looking at this program
About Program
Gap at CET Siena is an Italian intensive language program for students who have graduated high school.
Whether you've previously studied Italian language, or you're just interested in getting to know Italy better—a gap program at CET Siena is the perfect starting point. You'll take an intercultural communications class that takes you on a 4-day trip to Sicily, and an intensive language course alongside other gap students and college undergraduates. Alumni will tell you there's no better way to dive into Italian culture than to speak to locals. And in Siena, with its small-town feel, it won't be long before you're chatting up neighbors and shop owners on your way to class or community members at your volunteer placement. And after your time in Italy, you'll have the experience and tools for success in college.
Video and Photos
Diversity & Inclusion 💙
BIPOC Support
CET believes in making study abroad accessible to students of all races, religions, origins, abilities, gender identities, and sexual orientations. We’ve gathered experiences from BIPOC students to share as resources such as the Identity Abroad pages, Perspective Pieces, and Identity Abroad Support Networks. We are also dedicated to becoming a more anti-racist organization by transforming our workplace, programs, and industry with our Justice, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion (JEDI) Action Plan.
LGBTQIA+ Support
CET supports and welcomes students of all identities on our programs. We provide program-specific information under the cultural climate section of our Identity Abroad webpages for LGBTQ individuals in each of our program locations.
Neurodivergent Support
CET makes every effort to offer accommodations comparable to that of the students’ home institution. Disclosing early helps us to make proper preparations. The accommodations offered at each program can be found on each program location's Identity Abroad page. These pages can provide a good idea about what classes are like in terms of workload and class time. Initiating one-on-one conversations with Student Service Coordinators can also help inform students' decisions and determine if a program will be a good fit.
Accessibility Support
CET makes every effort to offer accommodations comparable to that of the students’ home institution. The levels of accessibility, from wheelchair accessibility to extra time on exams, are under each program location’s Identity Abroad page. Initiating one-on-one conversations with Student Service Coordinators can help inform students' decisions and determine if a program will be a good fit.
Impact 🌎
Sustainability
CET is an environmentally conscientious organization at our headquarters in DC and programs all around the world. In each of our centers, we adopt local measures to reduce our carbon footprint and contribute to sustainable practices. As part of our ongoing efforts towards sustainability, we’ve partnered with Cool Effect, a nonprofit focused on reducing carbon emissions through scientifically-proven, hand-selected carbon projects worldwide. For each trip taken by one of our staff members, travelers, or students, we donate to support three carbon projects chosen by staff volunteers every year.
Ethical Impact
When we set up a program overseas, we become a part of that local community. And as a community member, we are responsible for contributing to local initiatives in meaningful ways. Our website lists some local philanthropic organizations that help us fulfill this responsibility—they host our students, and we support their missions.
Program Highlights
- Intensive Italian language courses alongside undergrads and other gap students
- Spend 2 to 3 afternoons each week volunteering at a local organization
- Live in a homestay with an Italian host and at least one other student
- Traveling Seminar to Sicily with group
- Receive an official transcript from the University of Virginia at the end of the program
