Program Reviews

I thoroughly enjoyed going abroad to Rome with SAI/JCU. The staff at SAI Rome is super helpful and very accommodating. They're young too so they understand and if you need to talk, they're there to listen. I really like the extra programs such as cooking classes, vineyard tours, etc. that were offered to SAI program students only. These are included in the program and are a great way to meet other people on the program and get immersed in Italian culture. I would definitely recommend going to Rome with SAI!

The best decision I ever made was choosing to study abroad. SAI made it easy and helped me out greatly when I needed it. School was important but I could never have learned life experiences like I did moving to a new country without knowing a soul. I'm still very close to the friends I met there even though we are all over the US now. And we've all taken a reunion trip back! I definitely recommended SAI for anyone and everyone!

I'm so glad I decided to go on SAI's FUA session in 2012. It was one of the greatest experience of my life and I will never forget my time there. I lived in a nice apartment this 6 other girls two streets away from the Duomo. We were also two streets away from central market which was amazing and we made frequent trips there to get produce to cook. MY apartment didn't go out to eat all the time since the market was right around the corner and it had some of the most delicious and fresh produce, plus I love cooking and cooking this this food was amazing and saved a lot of money for trips. I was nervous i would get lost the first day but after day two you start to understand how the city was built and it is very easy to navigate.

SAI offered many amazing excursions to go on and I went on many; wine tastings, lakes and marble quarries all were amazing. The advisors at SAI are amazing they are so helpful and knowledgeable. They are great at recommending places to visit and eat. My favorite trips i took with my roommate were when we went to the train station and just took the first train coming in to a different town. We went to some amazing places we would have never even thought of going to...just don't forget to plan you trip back when picking where your going to.

My classes were amazing at FUA my favorite classes were the Art History classes because you literally walk down the street and will pass many things you are learning about. The classrooms are extremely beautiful and different from American class rooms and all the buildings are easy to get to.

While studying abroad I had an emergency that sent me to the ER in florence and one of the SAI advisors was by my side the entire time. Words can't event explain what a great advisor Camilla was. When the emergency happened it was the middle of the night into early morning and she was there within 20 minutes, she came to every doctors appointment and helped explain to me what was going on. She made me feel comfortable and safe in an extremely difficult time. Never have I met someone so kindhearted, helpful and thoughtful. Camilla truly did everything she could to make sure I was okay and I am truly grateful for her.

Every advisor at SAI was very friendly every time I saw one walking around they would stop and chit chat to see how things are going. It's amazing to me how they know every student, you're not just another kid studying abroad to them they know you name and interest. SAI does a great job selecting their advisors, they pick ones that care about all students.

Truly an amazing experience.

SAI is a great program to study abroad with. They are very involved in getting settled when you first arrive. They also are always available to help you with whatever you need when you have problems or questions. I have no complaints at all about SAI.

SAI provided a number of free trips and activities, such as a Tuscany weekend trip and cooking classes, that helped make my time abroad fun and exciting while saving money and experiencing things I would not have normally experienced. It was nice to be a part of a smaller group of students within the school and to participate in all of these trips and activities with them. It helped to give me a good group of friends from the beginning in a place where I did not know anyone. In addition, the SAI staff was wonderful. They were always friendly, welcoming, and extremely helpful. They were there to help out with everything from getting me medicine for a cold or a good deal on a taxi to a simple restaurant recommendation. They helped me feel more comfortable and at-home in a very new and unfamiliar environment. I do not have a bad thing to say about SAI. They truly helped make my study abroad experience so amazing and it would not have been what it was without them.

This past summer I interned and studied at Sant'Anna Institute through SAI. I had studied abroad in Italy two other times with SAI but decided that I wanted something different than my previous semester in beautiful but "touristy" Florence. When I found they had a program at Sant'Anna Institute in Sorrento I knew that was where I was going to spend my summer. I had previously had jobs in international education (one being an internship at the SAI California office) so I applied to be the marketing intern at Sant'Anna and see how international education is handled abroad.

I spent the summer falling more in love with international education and even more in love with Italy. In between work and class I was able to walk down to Marina Grande and lay on the beach with Mt. Vesuvius in the distance. I was surrounded by beauty all the time whether it was in the gorgeous school building with an incredible view of the Bay of Naples, whether I was walking home from class or school, or whether I was taking the train, bus or a boat to a nearby town, the beauty never stopped.

The other times I studied abroad I spent the weekends traveling to other countries and cities, but this summer was different. There is so many places in the Amalfi Coast and Naples area that I didn't need to leave. There was so much to do in that area that after spending over 90 days there, I still hadn't seen it all.

I've been back for about two months now and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about Sorrento. I miss my friends there, the people I worked with, my teachers, the food, the beach, the list could continue on forever...

I know that I will be back next summer and every summer following that. Sorrento is now another home away from home and I am counting down the days until I can return. I want to thank SAI and Sant'Anna for solifidying my dreams of working with international education and Italy in particular and I cannot wait to come back and visit !!

I really appreciated SAI for several reasons while I was abroad. I have bad luck and had several health complications (food poisoning and strep throat...just to name a few) but my program coordinators took good care of me. I got all the medical attention I needed and my health insurance covered the cost. The onsite coordinators became friends throughout the semester. I could not have been happier with my housing location. It was a beautiful and charming apartment with easy access to the tram as well as close proximity to a train station--which was awesome when going to the airport for weekend trips. I liked SAI because they provided me with the support I needed and offered a lot of fun activities and excursions. At the same time, I was on my own in the city to explore and grow as a person.

At the end of August 2009, I was a shy girl who embarked on my most life changing experience. I hopped on an Alitalia plane to study abroad in Milan without knowing a single person. Upon my arrival to my modern loft, I was greeted by my program coordinator, Jonathan Pantani on a Vespa. Just seeing a Vespa already stamped highlight on the trip!

Soon into my study abroad, all the students became well acquainted with one another, as we were all eager to find travel buddies and friends to explore all Milan has to offer with. I immediately grew this desire to see all I could and get the most out of my study abroad. With that being said, I stopped being a shy girl, cracked out of my shell, and made some of my best friends to this day from literally all over the United States.

From days to walking around Milano after classes to see the Duomo, shop 'til I drop, then going apperitivo in the evening and enjoying gelato and crepes afterwards, followed by going to the discotecas to dance the night away, to just walking along the canal to admire all the beautiful people that Milan attracts, I was quickly in love with a city I had recently met.

My courses in Milan were a real treat. The school ground of Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti is full of beautiful architecture and interesting student body/professors. Being able to order a cappuccino out of a vending machine was a delightful experience in itself! I learned a lot about the Italian lifestyle just by getting to know my professors and their class lessons. They are much more easy going than American professors, yet still expect the work to be done on time and up to high standards.

We had the luxury of only having classes Monday through Thursday to be able to travel around Europe. This was my favorite part of studying abroad. Although I took classes in Milan, I wouldn't say I studied abroad only there. I was able to travel to seventeen different cities in four months, and I learned so much in each and every city. I was able to study all over Europe. From northern and southern Italian cities, to London to Barcelona to Prague, I gained to much cultural insight and appreciation for other lifestyles.

I think about my experiences abroad every single day and each day I smile because of it. I am a different and better person today because of those four months. I end this review with a quote by James Baldwin, "I met a lot of people in Europe. I even encountered myself".

Attending NABA through SAI this past summer was the most amazing experience ever. The staff and professors at NABA are incredible and we are still in contact today. I wish I would have studied abroad an entire semester or even a year instead of just a summer! We've already made plans to go back to Milan and visit! Definitely worth it!!!!

On January 5th, 2011, I landed in London, England for what was described to be a three-month-long study experience. What they failed to tell me was that it would change my life forever. Because I had never traveled out of the country before, my parents were a little nervous when I asked them my Freshman year of college if I could study abroad for a semester during my Junior year. Yes, they were nervous because of my safety, but they were also uneasy because of how costly certain programs can be. My dad had just lost his job, and though it was very possible that he would have a new job by the time I wanted to venture abroad, nothing was positive. Ergo, they told me that if I really wanted to make the journey, then I would have to pay for the entire trip on my own.

I have learned that if I truly want something, then I have to work my hardest in order to receive it; things will not simply be handed to me like they are for many of my friends. Let me say that after summers and semesters of working full time, interning, and taking classes to accomplish my goal and then spending three months in London, I truly believe that anything is possible. If a person really wants something, then he or she is capable of receiving it. If he or she does actually achieve that goal, then it will never be taken granted for. This type of lifestyle helps individuals decide between things they really want and those which are only desired for a short time. When people are able to find what they are passionate about, then nothing will be able to stand in their path.

My experience with SAI attending the University of the Arts in London was absolutely life-changing. Studying Photography in one of the most historical and magical cities in the entire world really has an effect on a person. I was able to really figure out who I was as a person and what it is I am passionate about in life. The excursions, such as outings to Borough Market and Jack the Ripper tours at night, were a great way to meet friends whom I am still very close to and who have impacted me in an astounding way. When I went to London in early January, I set foot out of the country for the first time. My dream which I had saved up for finally came true after two years. When I traveled back to the United States mid-April, I arrived as a new person. I had evolved from never having been out of the country to having traveled to fourteen cities in seven different countries.

People always ask me if I changed during my trip. I always respond that I simply grew up. Sure, I do feel different in the sense that I made friends with so many unique people from different cultures and roamed unknown lands for three months. However, the biggest change was within myself as an individual. I am not saying that the “inner-Melissa” has changed; I simply mean that I found that internal person whom I had been trying to find for years. My personality has not changed; I am still all here. I merely matured a lot during my journey and was finally able to decide exactly what I want in the world and who I desire to be.

It was a complete epiphany to realize that there is so much in this world to explore when I had never stepped foot out of this one country until January. I remember walking across Abbey Road with my friend exclaiming, “I cannot believe I’ve been missing out on this for all of these years!” I came back to America with so many more goals that I wish to achieve. The interesting part is that every single one of my new ideas for after I graduate in May is extreme. They involve organizations in many different areas in the world.

My main goal after I graduate is to return to London in the near future in order to live in the city that once made me so alive. Well, I have my new dream and am very determined to make it happen. I have hope for the future; it’s like I said, I have a life to start living, and my trip with SAI was the cause of this new epiphany.