CEA Study Abroad in Florence, Italy

I had the pleasure of studying abroad in Florence, Italy this past winter through CEA. Although I was studying thousands of miles away from my hometown in North Carolina, the CEA team made my arrival, transition, and overall experience comfortable and exciting. The accommodations CEA provided went beyond the classroom. They offered safe housing in desirable city spaces, alternative scholarship opportunities and travel vouchers, out-of-the-box extracurricular activities, and 24/7 personal assistance if necessary. I HIGHLY recommend traveling with CEA and would seriously consider traveling with CEA again in the future.

Studying in Florence was amazing. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to live in such a beautiful place with such a rich history for four months. However, my experience with CEA, which included being talked down to countless times, brushed off repeatedly, and being harassed by two male staff members, was awful. The classes were not hard and weekend traveling was relatively easy, but by the end of the program I was actually afraid while at school.

Studying abroad with the CEA Florence program was the best ever! I lived 3-4months in the beautiful region of Tuscany. Florence, being the capital, is the hub of that. Everyday I spent time tasting delicious Italian cuisine, immersed myself with the locals, learned Italian, and enjoyed learning more about the Italian culture and life.

The staff at CEA are some of the best. When needing guidance or even suggestions, they are there for you. In terms of academics, the classes aren't too difficult at all. The teachers are amazing as well, don't be afraid to speak up when in need of help, they will be happier than ever to help. Fret not, the support you need and want will be there.

I could ramble on and on about this program! 10/10 I would recommend this program to future students.

CEA’s Florence program was the perfect first place to visit in Europe. Not only did the staff do the utmost to ensure a great time for their students, but they truly care as well. Any doubts, concerns or random questions were answered with true honesty. Classes were at a perfect learning level, and all the activities and traveling available outside of school is a cherry on top. Highly recommend! I can’t wait to go back and see the place that changed my life.

I know people always say this, but please study abroad. It was easily the best thing I have done in my life. My favorite thing about studying in Florence was how easy it was for me to travel the rest of Europe. CEA made that incredibly possible without Friday classes and a certain amount of sick days. Florence was just the perfect size to really get to know it all in just a few weekends. CEA classes got me directly involved with learning about the amazing art and history of the city. I was getting GE units for my university back home that were actually interesting and applicable for the life that I was living. CEA and Florence allowed me to travel cheap an conveniently to see everything from Iceland geysers, to the Cliffs of Mohr in Ireland, to skiing the Swiss Alps, to Oktoberfest in Munich, to a sunrise in the Sahara, to Aushwitz in Krakow. I couldn't have been more happy looking back at my study abroad experience. My only regret is that I didn't go for a year.

The CEA program helped to make my study abroad experience as positive as it was. I had never been out of the United States before in my life, and the CEA staff helped me to transition into the Florence living as easily as possible.

The classes were not the regular business classes I was used to taking back at Penn State, but that is why they were so interesting. The classes helped immerse me into the amazing culture that was surrounding me, and the topics taught were very captivating. For example, the Fashion Marketing class taught me insights into the marketing world that I never would have known otherwise, all while being able to take included field trips to places such as Luisa via Roma, Miu Miu, and the Gucci Museum. My Italian teacher, Martina, was there to help with whatever I needed, while making it fun to learn Italian with songs (that I still sing to this day), and took her classes on field trips to local artisans and the market for practice.

The CEA staff is not only concerned about your safety and learning, but they also make sure the experience is fun and memorable. With provided trips to multiple cities around Italy, delicious traditional meals, welcoming lunches and goodbye dinners, we knew we were lucky to have chosen CEA. I made lifelong friends with people from schools all over the country, had the best food I'll ever have in my life, learnt a beautiful language, and experienced a brand new culture, all in a very short 4 months.

I didn't enroll through CEA directly, my school had a program working with them.

Florence is a beautiful city with great food and culture. The CEA staff are all friendly and eager to help out. I'm used to larger classes on a quarter system, so it was a bit of an adjustment for me.

I highly recommend the Fashion Marketing class with Professor Tamara Evans if you have any interest in it. The class can be a lot of terminology at times, but her stories are so interesting and she knows everyone.

I also advise anyone prone to mosquito bites to get netting over their windows and/or bug spray because me and many other students had terrible bites!

Each day, I would wake up to a soft knock on my bedroom door. My host mom would have breakfast waiting for me at our cute, little kitchen table at 8am. I learned to appreciate routine in Florence. My home was a little outside the city center, so I usually rode my bike to school. Our facility was in the vibrant heart of Florence. Italian class each morning, walking around without a destination during the day. The world truly felt like my playground, and I was 5 years old again. Except this time, without parents of course. I absorbed every air molecule of Florence during the week. Especially, on the sunny days. Whether that meant having a glass of wine by noon in one of the piazzas, or just simply sitting on a bench observing and listening to the Italians. Looking back, I was grateful to be in Florence during the springtime because Italians love their flowers and gardens. Our program director, Grayson Splane, was one of the most amazing women I've ever met. As well as one of the professors, Ian Bickerton. I know I will always stay in contact with these two. Studying abroad is truly magical, and the incredible people you meet along the way end up being the most important advocates and elements of that self-growth.

CEA Florence is a horrible study abroad program. They had no concern for the students, the staff was extremely rude and unhelpful, the living conditions were horrible, faulty and covered in mold, and the teachers were extremely unfit providing zero structure for the classes.