CET Italy

My experience was unique in that, unlike many of my friends in other cities, I was not ready to leave Florence at the end of the semester! This is truly a testament to my experience, which could not have been more positive, formative, and exciting. Living in Florence helped me to grow personally and professionally: not only did I develop a greater sense of independence, but I also nourished helpful skills, such as budgeting, planning, and, above all, assimilating to an entirely new environment.

I absolutely recommend CET as a program. I attend a small liberal arts college, and I found that CET coursework was interesting yet manageable. I am accustomed to small classes, so I appreciated the seminar style of many of my courses. My professors met and/or exceeded my expectations, and I enjoyed taking courses specific to Italian studies, such as my language course, my Italian history course, and my class on the Medici family. Professors were helpful and accommodating, always happy to meet with students and offer support. I also loved site visits with my classes: we went to many museums, palazzos, and churches, which helped me to get to know and love Florence all the more.

I was initially concerned that the small program size would inhibit my ability to get to know new people, especially from other colleges, but I found that there was actually an opposite effect. The small program size encouraged our entire cohort to become friendly, and I was happy to become close with friends from other universities.

I also recommend CET because of the housing. While many of my friends in other cities and programs were in dorm-style housing, I was fortunate enough to be in an apartment, which made my experience authentic. What's more, my apartment was in the city center, allowing for a truly immersive semester. Though there are many study abroad students in Florence, which can make it challenging to interact with Italians as frequently as one might expect, my neighborhood consisted of many local families.

Lastly, I recommend CET because of the staff and the activities. The on-site team is incredibly supportive and helpful with any and all student needs, from arrival to departure. In August, the staff met us at the airport and provided taxis to our apartments. We then went on short walking tours of the city, followed by a detailed, comprehensive orientation the next day. They also supported students by providing tips on travel and even explaining how to use unfamiliar appliances in our apartments!

In terms of activities, CET offers various excursions throughout the semester, with meals and transportation provided. We visited Rome, a beach, and an Etruscan site. We also learned how to make Tuscan cuisine in cooking classes and went on hikes.

I had a fantastic semester in Florence -- it wasn't just my "home base" for classes during the week, but an incredible city in which I never ran out of things to do and sites to see. I'm grateful to CET not only for great classes, but wonderful activities, immersive housing, and supportive staff.

Overall, I enjoyed my time in Florence at CET! The housing accommodations were nice and the apartments were well equipped with all the essentials - furnished with all linens (sheet + towels), cooking utensils, pots/pans, dishes, etc. Almost all apartments were within a 15 minute walk from the school. The neighborhood felt safe. My favorite part about the CET program itself was the number of free events the staff planned and offered for us.

The academics: some of the midterms and finals were more difficult than my home university because of the amount of work required (ex: a final paper, a presentation, and an exam). Quality of instructors varied. CET does a great job of ensuring you are completing school while also having ample time to travel and enjoy life abroad.

CET did an amazing job in easing the transition from home to studying abroad. Specifically, they made pre-arrival materials very easy to understand, such as aiding with visas and taking care of housing for us.

My favorite part of the program was the Renaissance Art & Architecture class since it helped me really get to know the city of Florence. All of the teachers are extremely passionate about what they teach, so going to class and doing assignments was actually fun!

The one issue I had with the program was that it was difficult to make friends outside of my university. Since large groups from a small variety of schools attend the CET program, it seems like not many people were willing to branch out and meet new people. Perhaps CET could have instated more random small-group activities or assignments.

Overall I had the most amazing semester and would definitely recommend CET to anyone interested in studying abroad in Italy!

I highly recommend this program! This was such a fun semester and I can't believe it's over. The apartments are all in the center of Florence, walking distance to everything - classes, restaurants, bars, and even the train station was only 15-20 minute walk away. The quality of your apartment really depends on luck.

The classes were engaging and the perfect difficulty level for a semester abroad. We had lots of fun site visits for each class, and the program sponsored many activities (chocolate tasting, hiking, etc) around Florence/Tuscany that we could sign up for. It was great having no classes on Friday to let us travel on weekends, plus we had two four-day weekends and a week-long spring break in March. Florence is also just such a wonderful city - it's small, walkable, and friendly. It was a great place to call home these last 4 months.

I loved my experience in Siena with CET. I think that Siena is the perfect city/program for people who are looking to really connect with the local community and experience Italian culture. My classes were all really enjoyable, not as difficult as my classes at my school, but I also am not a CS major. My favorite class was Sienese art history where we did tours around the city or went to museums almost every class. The staff are all lovely and were very supportive. Siena is a small but gorgeous city and there always seem to be new things to explore despite its size- you really start to feel like you are more than just a tourist here.

My homestay was one of the highlights of my time here, I was able to really feel immersed in the local culture, improve my Italian a ton (I did already speak some Italian though), and have the support of a family. I will say that it seems like not every homestay family made people feel like a real member of their family as much as mine did, but overall my friends' homestay experiences seem to have been positive. Would definitely recommend for those who want to practice their Italian. I also got to go to events at my host family's contrada which was a super cool experience most visitors don't have access to.

I genuinely do not have anything bad to say about my own experience in Siena- I met lots of wonderful people, learned a lot, and overall had a really incredible time abroad.

CET Florence has hands down been one of the best experiences of my life. When envisioning my study abroad experience, I expected that the best moments would be traveling during the weekends. However, I found that the weekdays with the CET staff and professors has made my overall study abroad experience all the better. The staff members were so accessible and friendly; I felt like I can go to them with any problem or concern comfortably and I knew that I would get help immediately. Moreover, every single professor I had were all so wonderful. Not only did they try their best to make the classes engaging and exciting, but they also were so personable. I felt like I knew my professors very well by the end of the program, and that they now know me very well as well. All my classes were also very thought provoking, challenging, yet interesting. Two classes, Food and Culture and Wine Studies, were both so amazing that I felt excited to go to class every day! The enoteca visits and the food tastings for the classes are so unique to CET and Italy as a whole, and this was an experience I know I will not be able to get back at my university in America. Although the housing was not as amazing as the rest of the program, I know that this is because Florence is an older city. Living in city center was perfect as well, and CET did a great job with the location because everything is walkable from our classrooms and our apartments. This entire semester I felt so supported and cared for, making this study abroad experience so personal and unique. I will miss all my friends that I made here who come from different universities, and I will cherish my new friends that I would not have known if it weren't for CET Florence. Moreover, I will wholeheartedly miss the wonderful CET staff and professors who made learning so enjoyable and exciting. I would without a doubt recommend CET Italy / Florence to anyone who is considering studying abroad. I would not have wanted my study abroad experience to go or be with any other program!

My study abroad experience on CET in Florence was something I will never forget. I went into this experience leaving a lot of my close friends behind, whether they were studying in other European countries, cities, or back at Cornell. I worried about being able to make friends and have people to travel with, but I quickly made so many new friends and was traveling the world with them. Choosing Florence as a home city was an amazing decision. Over the course of my time abroad, I really immersed myself in the culture and can call this place my home. I knew how to get around without Google Maps by the end and have tried many incredible restaurants. The food is seriously to die for in Florence. I also loved how walkable the city was making it so easy to get around. I would highly suggest anyone considering studying abroad in the future to go to Florence. I am going to miss it so much!

Being in Florence was great and the apartments were in wonderful locations in the city. Sometimes a bit noisy because of how close they were to the city center, but certainly well worth it. The teachers were all great, though some were difficult to understand.

I will also say that the attendance policy was very harsh. There were only three absences allowed per class, otherwise, your grade would drop a whole letter grade (at 5 absences) and and failure after 8 absences. There were no exceptions for illness, death in the family, personal circumstances, etc. even if you could document these incidences.