CET Italy

My summer in Florence was one of the best experiences with CET. The 6 week program was the perfect amount of time to get to know Florence and the Italian culture. The classes were engaging and allowed students to see Florence in a new way, while being fair with the workload. The professors were also very knowledgable and passionate which made the classes so interesting. I met so many new friends through the activities that were organized by the activity leaders who were both young and became close friends with the students by then end! There was a wide variety of activities for everyone and was one of the best memories from the summer. The housing was great and you live among locals, although some apartments are farther from the school than others. Overall, I would highly reccomend this program to anyone who wants an amazing summer!

This program is great if you want to see a lot of Florence. The classes take you to so many locations--I really feel like I saw all of the important Florence sites and was able to learn a lot about them from my professors. The program also had a lot of included extra activities like gelato tasting, a cooking class, a soccer game, and a pool day at a Tuscan villa.

Florence is a really great city as a study abroad students. There are so many students from US schools and it is really fun to meet them all. Traveling from the train station is so easy, too--pretty quick train ride to Rome, Milan, Pisa, and a lot of other great places, and easy to get to the airport. The week long fall break is great for seeing a lot of Europe.

Studying abroad with CET Siena was the most rewarding experience of my life so far! As a first-generation & Latina student, imposter syndrome made the idea of studying abroad seem impossible but everyone at CET Siena made me feel so welcomed and like I finally belonged somewhere. The staff genuinely care about getting to know you and put in so much effort to make your stay as comfortable and fun as it can be, from choosing nice apartments to planning a fun and immersive weekend trip. The roommates are some of the best people I have ever met. The staff plan some great weekly bonding events that help immerse you in Italian culture, let you get to know them and your peers, and get you walking around the beautiful town and learn about all its unique history. They’re also a wonderful resource to help you practice Italian language!

In terms of academics, the professors are very receptive of your needs. The Italian course is very comprehensive and it makes learning and practicing Italian in Siena so much less scary. Class schedules are arranged so you have plenty of time in the day to explore the city, visit the biweekly market, and enjoy the amazing Tuscan sunsets (one of my favorite things to do during my time there). The workload is also pretty light overall so you can take weekend trips relatively stress-free. If you’re looking to improve your Italian skills, CET Siena is definitely your best choice. English isn’t spoken as commonly as in other Italian study abroad cities (Florence, Rome, etc.) so you really get to practice what you learn in the classroom! In my experience, the people of Siena are genuinely happy to hear people trying to speak Italian and are very kind even if you make some mistakes. As a Latina, you find so much in common with Italians and Italian culture that you can genuinely feel like you’re at home.

The experience wouldn’t be complete without the food and travel. Siena has some amazing restaurants and local shops that have some of the best foods I’ve ever tried (if you choose CET Siena you should definitely check out the Tea Room by Piazza del Mercato). CET Siena also sets up a cooking class activity where you learn to make your own pasta and sauces from scratch at an incredible restaurant — it was one of my favorite activities by far! Traveling around Italy is super accessible from Siena’s train station; I was able to visit six other cities in Italy and four other countries during my time abroad for a relatively low cost. Siena itself is a very walkable city with very pretty architecture, making your walks to class or the store more enjoyable.

One of my favorite aspects of the program is the opportunity to meet other students from different US universities. The people I studied abroad with are now some of my best friends and made learning Italian and exploring the country so much fun. Overall, my study abroad experience with CET Siena was one of the most memorable periods of my life so far and I would do it all again if given the chance!

Before coming to Florence, I had only been to Europe once, to visit my brother when he was studying in Prague. I had a hazy expectation of what a semester abroad would entail -- likely getting familiar with a new city and people, lots of travel, new friends. All I can say is that CET Florence has exceeded every expectation, and truly clarified for me what it means when people say that study abroad changed their lives. While taking long weekends to travel throughout Europe is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, at the end of every travel experience, I am beyond excited to return to Florence, a place that I consider both a dream vacation destination and my home away from home. The food here is outrageously good, and I always get my steps in -- it is so easy to forget just how much walking you're doing when you're excited to turn every corner and explore a new street. CET has enabled me to make lifelong memories and friends in the most incredible place on earth.

As a midyear student, I participated in the CET Florence Program during my very first semester of college. Everything about the experience of being abroad was brand new to me, but I was so ready to get going! I spent my semester studying in bars (the Italian word for a caffe), walking the city, attending classes at CET and traveling around Italy and Europe. There were a few parts of the program I found particularly challenging: first of all, the program is very small. If a cohort just doesn't click, it can be difficult to find close friends. That was my experience, and it pushed me to truly learn how to travel on my own and how to be productive and happy in my own routines. Second, the program is organized so that there is a 10 day fall break during which students are entirely responsible for figuring out travel plans. This was especially difficult for me because I did not find a group of friends I wanted to travel with, and my family did not come and visit. I also have never had experience planning my own trips before as a freshman in college. The CET staff are absolutely incredible whenever you need help academically or in terms of travel ideas and tips, so they were my primary resource for places to go and things to see! Some of my favorite parts of the CET experience included connecting with Florence through my Renaissance art history course, meeting Italian high school and university students, and enjoying some of the best food I have ever eaten during the Italian Food and Culture course. All in all, I came back to the states with more confidence and a stronger sense of independence than I knew I could have, some of the best travel stories and experiences ever, and I had fallen deeply in love with Florence.

My semester abroad was unique in that I was doing it my first semester of freshman year. This is not normally an experience that many have but my university offers it. I admit I was nervous going in but as soon as I arrived I began to relax. The friends that I met and the staff at CET made the program all the more enjoyable and safe and made me realize I had nothing to worry about. The classes are academically challenging but not overbearing and I was able to travel around Europe often while keeping up with my work. The staff at CET were very helpful in helping me to integrate into Italian society and made the whole experience that much smoother. I met many friends, both locals and other study abroad students alike, and I can definitely say one should not fear being isolated during an experience like this. This semester has easily been the highlight of my life so far, and even though it is not an easy thing to uproot one's life and live in another country, I would 100% recommend the CET program in Florence.

Overall, I enjoyed my time in this program. Florence is a beautiful city and I’ve definitely gotten attached. The food was amazing, and nothing beats a cappuccino for €1 when you’re used to starbucks gouging you $5 for the same thing, but with subpar coffee. On the academic front, I found both my Italian classes and my film classes to be challenging. But the most challenging part of the program overall was the schedule. When NYFA classes began, i had class Monday-Friday from 9:30-6:30. In addition to the crazy fast deadlines for projects, this created some stress. However, it was worth it in the end. I learned so much about filmmaking and this course has helped me grow a lot as an artist. All of the faculty and staff on this program were so helpful in facilitating this growth. I do wish, though, that there had been more people in the program. It would have been nice to have more people to mingle with.

So a lot of people ask me why I chose to study abroad in Italy and honestly its a very boring answer... I just picked whatever program gave me what I needed in terms of credits. Which is super awesome that I can easily transfer my credits from CET to my current school but also I had no idea what to expect. I didn't speak a single word of Italian and knew absolutely nothing about the Italian culture. And now looking back, I feel so incredibly grateful to have been able to have this experience.

CET was the best choice for me because of my academic credits I was able to receive and also because of all the resources they provided for me. I took two classes there. One was an Italian Food and Culture class where we took field trips every week to a chocolate tasting, cooking class, wine tasting, olive oil vineyard, etc. It was just an amazing experience being able to do those things because it allowed me to further immerse myself in the Italian culture. And also, I probably would not have done those things on my own. I learned so much about the Italian culture and it was so great being able to live in their country and truly understand everything because of what I was learning in my class. The other class I took was a beginner Italian class and my teacher was one of the best people I met on my trip! She was like my second mom abroad.

The whole of CET staff while I was there was just so considerate and accommodating. They were there for you for anything! They truly understand the mindset of someone who is going abroad in a foreign country and won't hesitate to help you out with whatever you needed from restaurant recommendations, safety tips, and travel tips as well. They wanted me to make the most of everything there and I truly feel like I did because of their help.

The best part of my trip was the my apartment. It was so nice not having to deal with finding an apartment on my own. They worked out all those details and I also decided to go with random roommates within the program because I didn't know anyone else going abroad. The apartment was in a great location and very close to everything I needed. The best part about the apartment was how lucky I was to have met three other incredibly great friends! We travelled together every weekend, ate every meal together, and honestly just spent every second together.

I had no idea that when I went abroad I would get back such a rewarding experience. I honestly don't think it would have been the same if I had done a different program because they everyone at CET in Florence was so helpful and understanding. I think that's really important when you're deciding to do something you've never done before.