Take classes in Florence or Sorrento, Italy. Exquisite culture!

If I hadn't stumbled upon the acronym ASA, I would not be the person typing this review. I would not be as curious, hungry and driven as I now am. I aspire to see as much of this beautiful world as I can, and with ASA I was able to travel to 11 countries, including my host country, Italy. After experiencing the semester of a lifetime and making the most amazing friends who have similar aspirations in life and the same eagerness to travel to new places and meet new people, I look forward to all of the adventures to come. ASA is an organization that provides each student with so much support from the time you fill out the application to as soon as you step off the plane in your host country and all throughout your semester abroad. The individuals who work for ASA are passionate about their job and care so much about students, their well-being and their experience. I don't know who I would be or where I would be if I had selected another provider to study abroad with, but I sure am grateful I chose ASA :)

Going abroad with ASA was so easy. The staff is friendly and easy to contact, the planned trips are fun and the housing is perfect. The company is small but has representatives on every campus they work with and are available through email anytime. Overseas there are location directors to guide you around the city and take you on a couple of weekend trips, Chiara is excellent! The weekend trips planned for when I was abroad were Rome and Venice, which were perfect because I might not have gone to either of those locations on my own. We also had a few program gatherings local to Florence to check out museums and do a gelato crawl. Housing is in the city center minutes from nearly every monument, museum and all the best restaurants. ASA was the perfect fit for my abroad experience.

This program was such a perfect fit for my study abroad experience. Chiara was an amazing 'abroad mom' and makes everyone feel so comfortable! My apartment was right in the middle of the city and close to everything I needed. The university was perfect. It had multiple locations therefore students had to explore the city more which I loved. The excursions for ASA were great. I would not have figured out Rome without Chiara and it definitely got the group excited to travel since we went so early on. I would do it again in a second and wish I had another opportunity to go abroad with ASA!

Studying abroad in Florence was a beyond amazing experience that words cannot describe. Florence brought a whole new perspective to my life that has forever changed me. As a hospitality management major, I learned more from the local business owners of Florence than I will ever in a college classroom. Their hospitality is overwhelming and they knew how to make you feel at home even in a foreign country where I did not know the language. My friends and I returned to the same businesses almost daily because we liked the familiarity of the place and how the owners slowly became to know our orders and names. It's nice to have somewhere to go where you feel welcome when being thousands of miles away from where you have felt welcome your whole life. These businesses have been loved and cared for by these families for generations and I just wished that America had the same outlook on small family businesses as Florence did. I will now, almost always choose a family run business before I step into a chain restaurant. Thank you Florence for your amazing, family-oriented atmosphere and I hope some of your gracious hospitality has worn off on me.

My time in the beautiful city of Florence was by far the best time of my life! I got to live in an apartment perfectly located in the historical center and fully immerse myself in the Italian culture. Although the academics were not traditionally challenging, I got the chance to learn in a personal and flexible environment learning things I would not have in a classroom in the states. A large part of my extremely positive experience came from our site director Chiara. She was incredibly kind, enthusiastic and seemed genuinely interested in getting to know us and making sure we had a wonderful time. We even began to call her our "Italian mom." ASA was extremely helpful and supportive throughout the entire process from application to boarding my plane to go home. I would highly recommend the program as well as the general study abroad experience. It truly changed me as a person and how I look at the world. I have a thirst to explore more of the world and to experience other cultures. I greatly miss Firenze and hope to one day return to my favorite city in the world!

From the beginning of my application to ASA, Chelsea was there every step of the way. She answered all of my emails in a timely manner. You are provided help along every "check point" before you leave the U.S.

You are introduced to your city manager, Chiara, plenty of time before leaving for Florence. She was so so so happy to see all of us when we landed and was very helpful when my flight was diverted to Pisa instead of Florence because of wind. Throughout our program, we all fell in love with our "mom" Chiara as she regularly checked in and supported us. She even joined us for our American Thanksgiving dinner!

Overall, ASA is a great program because of the way it is managed. It's small size is probably it's best attribute because you never feel as if your concerns will go unanswered. Wish I could go back to Florence!!

Before I picked my program and city, I knew that when I visited Florence when I was younger that I liked it. Living in the city, I loved it. I made one of my best friend's at Florence University of the Arts. The city was perfect because there was plenty to do but still being walk-able. From meeting new people, taking interesting classes, and the whole feeling of the city, I know I will make my way back to Florence to relive my experience.