Program Reviews

Studying abroad in Florence, Italy was the best experience in my life. From living so close to the Duomo, being able to walk to my school and experience the culture firsthand was amazing. I felt extremely safe as I would always travel in groups, and the staff provided us with many useful tips on how to get around. I would wake up in the morning, go to the local bakery outside my apartment to get an espresso, walk to school, complete my classes, and walk home and cook dinner with my friends. At night, we would often go out to the clubs. Florence had an amazing social scene. As for school, my teachers all were extremely nice and helpful and seemed to care about they students. I would study abroad again in one second.

In September of 2013, I landed in Florence and did a full academic year at Accademia Italiana. Being a fashion major, this was an amazing fit for me personally but I was also able to connect with students from a diverse range of concentrations, including graphic design, interior design, and art history. I never realized how fully I had immersed into my life in Italy until a comment from my wonderful Pattern Drafting professor caught my attention. She responded to a request for me to move my seat by saying: "But she always sits there!" Having been there only one semester, I was already a fixture in university life and always found the staff welcoming and helpful.

In addition to their great art and design courses, Accademia Italiana offers Italian language courses to all of its students. I've studied Italian since high school and this was an amazing chance for me to practice
my skills and really dive into learning conversational Italian. Though my speech still isn't perfect, after spending a year in Florence I can understand almost everything I hear, which is a huge improvement from how I was when I landed. Accademia also offers separate weekend trips that are free for students and go to different cities including Rome, Sorrento, Siena, and more; independent travel is also extremely easy to organize.

Summing up an entire year of living in Florence is incredibly hard to do. All in all, Arcadia and Accademia Italiana gave me the opportunity to really establish a life abroad. I was not simply a student going overseas to party and mingle only with other American students, I became a resident in Florence and learned more about the city and its culture than I ever expected and made lasting friendships that are still going strong almost another year later.

We did not have the opportunity to interact with people outside of our group of 7 in Paris. There was no cultural immersion. They were not straightforward or clear on academics and they said they'd offer courses that they didn't. I felt separated from the culture as well. I would absolutely not recommend this program.

The Dublin Internship program is the perfect conglomerate of culture, society and politics. The program uniquely pairs class requirements with internship work which provides a nice variety in schedule - and plenty of time to enjoy Dublin! The benefits of this program extend beyond your time abroad. Working in the Irish Parliament is a real resume builder and definitely gets the attention of schools, professionals and employers.

As the title states, I had the best five months of my entire life in Ireland. Arcadia staff prepared us before we even left the United States, and continued to support us throughout our time in Galway. Ann Monahan was a great mom figure to anyone who had any questions or concerns. I met students from all over the United States through the program. We had the opportunity to not only attend classes with the Irish students, but we placed with Irish students in our residence halls. My roommate showed me around the city and was always there for advice on places to go out or grad a bite to eat. The nightlife is a blast with all of the nightclubs and pubs, whether you're looking to paint the town red, or have a quiet night listening to trad music. The cost of living was relatively cheap compared to other places I traveled visiting friends. Classes were taught differently than in the US, but it was refreshing to have a different learning module than I'm used to. Overall, I would (and do, all the time) recommend studying abroad in Galway to anyone if they get the chance! I still cry once in awhile when I think about my time there.

The most difficult part of adjusting to life in London was the weather and learning to look specific ways before crossing the street. Overall, London is full of many activities and you will find yourself visiting all different towns and boroughs since the public transport system is so prevalent in the city. Make sure you visit the weekend markets in Camden and Shoreditch and get cheap food, desserts, and produce. Lastly, don't be afraid to try different types of food- now is your chance! London has a huge variety of Indian food, kebabs, and other dishes that you won't be able to taste anywhere else.

This program was one of the best decisions I've made in college. I got the opportunity to experience classes in a different environment and participate in an internship that was both educational and rewarding. Beyond just the required coursework I had the opportunity to become a Londoner. I was able to take all the opportunities provided by both the school and the city. Though I wish I had more exposure to other foreign students this can be achieved by taking courses at nearby universities. I made both friends and memories I am sure I will have the rest of my life and fell in love with the city of London and England in general.

I did the summer London internship through Arcadia University the summer of 2014. I had never left the country before and was nervous about the process. One thing I remember that made me feel better about the initial flight and arrival was that Arcadia started and invited all participants to a Facebook page. From there I was actually able to find 3 people taking the same flight as me so we could meet up and arrive together. This made navigating the airport and going through customs a lot less intimidating.

The Arcadia staff provided introductory sessions to help us all understand more about what our experience in London would be like from different customs to understanding the public transportation systems.

The internship they found for me was perfect and a wonderful experience. I went 3 full days a week. I also attended a class through Arcadia that I went to once a week. I did the photography class and I am glad I did. We went on different trips to museums and different locations around the city. On the weekends, I was able to take several trips with the people I met. We traveled to Amsterdam, Paris, and Edinburgh. I was surprised how reasonable the travel costs were! I even ended up taking a week long vacation to Malta during my last week in the program.

All in all, I would highly recommend this program! The staff is wonderful, London is amazing, and you will have great experiences!

This program was exactly what I was looking for in a study abroad experience. I loved that I was immediately integrated into the University and had the chance to live with other Scottish students and feel like a real student, rather than a tourist during my time abroad. It was easy to get involved on campus and in Edinburgh there is always something to do whether it's going to a festival or a market, grabbing drinks at the pub, or taking a stroll by some of the gorgeous parks and landmarks that are sprinkled throughout the city. In general, Edinburgh is an incredibly walkable city, but if you need to go a further distance, the bus system is easy to navigate. I also appreciated Arcadia's role in my time abroad. They provided a great support system and plenty of excursions around the country so that we could get our touristy fill from time to time. Overall, I highly recommend this program to anyone who wants a more independent study abroad experience in the context of an incredibly friendly and liveable city.

One of the best experiences I had in Ireland was learning how to step dance. Not only did I get to learn a unique part of Irish cultures but I also made some of the best social connections with not only the other students but the teacher as well. We were given the opportunity to go to the Blarney Hotel Pub every Tuesday to play with the local musicians in an Irish traditional session and to perform the dances we learned for the locals.