Tag Archives: study abroad tips

Myths pervade our lives about all sorts of things. Does chewing gum really take seven years to digest? Is the Great Wall of China actually the only man-made object visible from space? Is Brad Pitt really still in love with Jennifer Anniston? We’ll have to come back to those pressing questions another time. The real myths that concern us today are the Top Ten Myths About Studying Abroad. Someone has to set the record straight and the Select Study Abroad MythBusters are here to do just that. We hope to debunk some pesky popular beliefs that can stop a student from studying abroad, because that my friends, is just a crying shame. Continue Reading…

Technorati Tags: financial aid, study abroad, study abroad tips

As a very wise sage once said,
 
“Let’s get some shoes.”
 
Indeed.
 
When it comes to getting shoes in Florence, or in Italy in general, you’re in pretty good hands. People ask me where to go and I can’t seem to narrow it down to just one place. There are so many stores and so much variety of shoes that it helps to first know what you’re looking for (impossible task, I know). Sandals? Heels? Shoes? Boots? Color? Material? The last ones is easy…leather! However, regardless of what you have in mind, here are a couple tips that can help you go home with the best pair of shoes at the best price.
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Technorati Tags: Florence, Florence study abroad, Florence tips, Italy, Italy tips, shopping tips, study abroad tips, tips

Welcome back to our Top Ten Tips for Studying Abroad!
Hopefully you enjoyed and were endlessly impressed by the breadth of information in Part I and are dying for more juicy details in Part II. You probably were since, as I recall, we did a totally kick-ass job.
 
For those new to our Top Ten Tips blogs, these posts will provide you with all the most important information and advice you will need for your study abroad adventure. To help you, our reader, better digest so much material we have divided these tips into three separate posts:
Part I. Pre-departure and arrival
Part II. Getting settled and learning the ropes
Part III. Advanced travelers and beyond
 
In Part II we will be touching on some key details that you’ll need to know once you’ve finally slept and unpacked your bags. This will help you start living it up Italian-style with as few snafus and headaches as possible. If you have already found yourself in some, don’t worry, you’re not alone and you’ve come to the right place. Be sure to use the comments section below to ask us questions or perhaps suggest some new tips that should be incorporated. Onto Part II of the Top Ten Tips for Studying Abroad in Italy (with, as per usual, a special eye to Florence).
Yes, we agree. It’s a beautiful thing.
Continue Reading…

Technorati Tags: biking, Florence study abroad, Florence tips, Italy tips, shopping tips, study abroad, study abroad tips, tips

So, you’re going to Italy to study abroad. It’s a dream come true. You can’t wait to leave. You’re also a little overwhelmed about what you need to do before you leave and what to expect when you finally arrive.
 
I remember it like it was yesterday and, believe me, I knew next to nothing about how to navigate a completely new city (let alone one where I barely spoke the language). I only wish I had done a little more research before I left. If you’re reading this ahead of your departure, then you’re already ahead of the game, good work! If you’ve already left, well you’ve already seen, and perhaps found yourself in, some of those classic pitfalls. Not to worry. You’ve all come to the right place. Let us give you a helping hand.

Technorati Tags: Florence, Florence study abroad, Italy, study abroad, study abroad tips

Lover's Locks chained to a light post in Verona

being in Italy?

Being in Italy, in love.

And who knows love better than the people who love life, I ask you? No one. Well, maybe them and that guy from The Notebook.
This is a post dedicated to good old-fashioned love being shown in a not so old-fashioned way. None of that Italian Stallion crap, but the kind of genuine romance that reminds you of your first love or your first kiss. The kind of love that makes you want to read all Nicholas Sparks’ novels over and over and cry every time.

Think of your average lock. The kind you put on your locker at school or the gym. A totally mundane object that you have likely bought a hundred times in your life and then thrown away once you forgot the combination or lost the key. Now imagine that same lock with two people’s names written on it and imagine it hanging off the bar of a quiet bridge in some little town in Italy. Suddenly, it’s something special. Suddenly, all its qualities of “security,” “safety,” “permanence”, and “lock-abilty” take on a new meaning. Now imagine 50 of those same locks all with different people’s names scribbled on them, all locked to the same place. That is a whole lot of love proclaimed in a beautifully subtle and sweet way that just makes me want to cry. Continue Reading…

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