Lorenzo de Medici

Complete the LdM program application form + LdM Housing booklet+application

Completing the program application form:

• • The most important part is page 4 for Fall/Spring (page 5 for Summer): the page where you are essentially enrolling in classes.

    • For Fall/Spring, the required formula is 4 courses plus 1 mandatory Italian course (15 total credits). You should strive to find at least two courses that count towards your major.

    • Summer students are able to attend one or both sessions. Students may enroll in one or two courses per session, and Italian language is not mandatory.

Important Application Notes:

• • Other than Italian, the alternate course must be an entirely separate course, not a different section of the same course. LdM’s registrar will automatically try to place you in your first choice course, and they only use your alternate choice if there are no other sections available for your first choice.

  • Read the application carefully and follow instructions.

  • Andy Hinnant will take care of the “advisor certification” section. Leave that blank.

  • No need to fill out the “billing section” on page 2.

  • Put your last name and first initial at the bottom of every page, as indicated.

  • Be sure to read+review the entire last page. Check the boxes at the top and sign the bottom.

  • Review the LdM Course Catalogue > navigate to the correct site (Florence) and term.

  • Do not choose courses based on whether they are "open" or "full" in the online catalog. The open/full status of the catalog is constantly in flux. If a section is full and enough students request it, LdM will try to open another section.

  • Turn this form in to ISB 112 by the "Host Institution Application Deadline" indicated below in the "dates and deadlines" section (March 15 for Summer, April 15 for Fall)

• • From "student voices" below: Dropping and adding classes here is almost impossible, so be sure you read the course catalog and pick out the classes and the times you want.

LdM has a limited number of small ($250) scholarships they're able to offer students with financial need. Please write to the LdM Student Services Coordinator for more info:

Ai Doan, adoan@lorenzodemedici.org

Program Dates

• • Spring 2021: Feb. 10 - May 15, 2021

  • Summer 2021

    • Session 1: TBA

    • Session 2: TBA

  • Fall Semester 2021: TBA

HOUSING CANCELLATION POLICY FOR SEMESTER PROGRAMS (From the Housing Booklet and LdM website)

• Any cancellation must be communicated in a written withdrawal form obtained from the Housing Office. Please remember that once the student arrives in Italy, NO refund will be made for any reason in the event of a student deciding to cancel, change or vacate an assigned apartment.

• If a student cancels 45 days or MORE prior to the check-in date, the security deposit and advance of the rent payment will be refunded.

• If a student cancels 44-31 days preceding the check-in date, the student will lose the security deposit but will be refunded the $1200 advance of the rent payment.

• 30-11 days preceding the check-in date, the student is liable for the security deposit and advance of the rent payment.

• If a student cancels 10-0 days preceding the check-in date – or fails to check in to his or her housing assignment – the student is responsible for the full rental amount of the accommodation for the entire academic term.

• The student will be fully liable for the total housing cost and housing deposit if no official notice of the student’s cancellation is received by LdM before check-in.

TUITION CANCELLATION POLICY FOR ALL TERMS (From the Enrollment Confirmation Form and LdM website)

IF AN OFFICIAL CANCELLATION NOTICE IS RECEIVED BY LdM:

• • Prior to the 45 days preceding the program start date, the $500 initial tuition payment can be refunded net of bank fees.

  • 45-31 days prior to the beginning of the term, the student will be liable for the $500 initial tuition payment.

  • 30-0 days prior to the beginning of the term, the student will be liable for half of the tuition cost.

  • If the student withdraws after the start of the program, liability amounts to full tuition and no refund will be made.

  • The student will be fully liable for the total tuition cost if no official notice of the student’s cancellation is received by LdM before the start of the program.

Flying to Rome or Milan might be cheaper, and the trains are very frequent and easy to catch to Florence. But remember that you will have at least one large suitcase to lug around with you after arriving in Italy, not to mention jet-lag from the transatlantic flight. So, with this in mind, it's likely worth paying the extra $ to fly into Florence. After some time in Florence, you will understand how to use public transportation to get to/from the city center to/from the Florence airport. But for your initial arrival, it's recommended you pay the extra money to take a taxi.

Important notes about arrival:

• • LdM does not provide airport pick-up for students.

  • Check-in hours are from 9 am – 4:30 pm on the housing check-in date. The LdM Housing Office requests that you arrive for check-in no later than 4:30 pm for a brief Housing Orientation. Housing check-in will take place at Via del Giglio, 4

  • Below is a depiction of where to find the taxi line at the Florence airport. Once you exit from the terminal, if you go to the right, there will be a specific line for taxis.

  • You will have to wait in a line of people for a taxi, and do not try to skip the line by getting into a taxi that is farther back in the line of taxis. This pick-up area is different than the area where people will be getting dropped off by taxis. Do not try to get in a taxi that has just dropped someone off, as they will not allow you to do this.

  • The taxi to the city center is roughly 20 euros (+1 euro per bag), so bring some cash euro with you to use. You might also consider getting some from your bank before you leave to save in the currency conversion cost at the airport, however it's up to you!

Orientation

LdM orientation sessions will be divided into 3 days (Wednesday, Thursday and Friday). During the three days there will be 3 mandatory sessions and some optional activities.

The specific schedule of the 3 days will be given to you during the first meeting on Wednesday. Lorenzo de’ Medici Institute considers the attendance to these meetings fundamental not only for a successful start of the semester, but for the entire stay as well. The mandatory sessions are designed to provide you with information on a variety of different topics such as: health & safety, immigration (Permit of Stay), student services (activities/clubs/volunteer, counseling services, etc.), academic information, academic field trips and practical everyday life issues, all intended to ensure a positive and safe cultural experience abroad.

You will need to complete the LdM Housing booklet+application. Below are some important notes about housing:

• • Read the housing booklet carefully, especially the "general housing information" on page 4. All apartments differ in size and layout, but all are within walking distance to classes.

  • Note the housing cancellation policy -- once a student arrives in Italy, no refund will be made for any reason whatsoever in the event of a student deciding to cancel change or vacate an assigned apartment.

  • You do not pay for housing directly to LdM. Our office pays on your behalf and bills your student account. If this is confusing for you, please compare the LdM budget with info on our site about costs and billing.

  • You will need to turn the application form in to ISB 112 by the "Host Institution Application Deadline" indicated below in the "dates and deadlines" section (March 15 for Summer, April 15 for Fall)

Housing Varies! So your initial expectations may not always be accurate. Below are some pictures of the variety.

Fall/Spring term student voices on housing

• • Come prepared for the apartment to be cold. Research and consider both apartment living and staying with a host family. Staying with a family could help you learn more about the culture, learn the language, and help you make connections with locals. That being said, I'm glad I lived in an apartment because it helped me make friends with other students.

  • I stayed with a host family. The location was excellent and I felt very safe there. The meals were delicious. My roommates were great and the host family (except for the father) was very welcoming.

  • I lived in an apartment right in the center of Florence in Center Republica. The location was amazing, the safety was well-regulated since the front door had a lock, my roommates were great, and my landlord was very responsive.

  • I recommend having a meeting with roommates in the very beginning of the semester to establish ground rules and all get on the same page.

Summer term student voices on housing

• • I lived in an apartment about a fifteen minute walk from class. Two of my roommates were from UIUC and three of them were from University of North Carolina. Be open to living with new people because you might meet some of your best friends.

  • My favorite part of my experience was my two classes, while my least favorite part was that my apartment didn't have air conditioning.

You will register for courses with the program application (see quick links for application).

Selecting Courses

• • You should strive to find courses that count towards your major/minor/gen eds.

  • For Fall and Spring, the required formula is 4 courses plus 1 Italian course (15 total credits). You should strive to find at least two courses that count towards your major.

  • For Summer, you may take either one or two courses per session; though if you only enroll in one course (3 credits), you will not be eligible for financial aid.

  • Use the LdM Course Catalogue to browse and select courses

  • Note this from a former student: “Dropping and adding classes here at LdM is almost impossible, so be sure you read the course catalog and pick out the classes and the times you want.”

  • All syllabi for courses can be found here. The 2019-2020 folder has the most recent syllabi. If you aren't able to find a particular syllabus, let Andy know.

  • Many courses incur an additional lab fee (The amounts are from 2018-2019, so may not be 100% accurate, but they'll give you an idea. You will pay these fees in person to LdM in Florence).

Transcripts will be sent to Illinois automatically after the end of the program. However, the time for receipt and processing can take a few months. Be patient, and you can track to see when your transcript is received by the Office of the Registrar by when the digital copy is uploaded into your My Study Abroad documents.

Student voices on academics for fall and spring terms

• • I have classes on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday--so 3 days a week. My classes are usually 3 hours, studio classes 6 hours, and they are usually only once a week except for Italian which was 1 hr 15 mins each class (Tues and Thurs).

  • I only had class three days a week on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, for about 6 hours.

Student voices on academics for summer terms

• • Knowing the requirements of the classes before departure. For example, my cooking class required us to wear pants every day and if I would have known about this prior to departure I could have packed accordingly.

  • I had class M‐Th, from 9:00 AM to 3:45 PM with an hour lunch break. I took 2 classes while I was there for 2 hours each per day, and both classes were worth 3 credit hours.

  • The structure was primarily based for in-class work. There was little out of class assignments. The majority of the grade came from the midterm and the final. The other portion of the grade was merely participating in class. The teachers spoke English well, so there was no language barrier.

Course recommendations: (Which course(s) that you completed abroad did you find most interesting/meaningful?)

Fall/Spring Term

• • Art of 14th c. Florence; being able to see artwork and architecture in person was a great way to learn. History of Prostitution: never thought about the history of prostitution, but this course gave me a lot of knowledge on the subject.

  • I think the most useful classes were Digital Filmmaking and Italian because they were both skills and knowledge that are entirely new and exciting for me. Filmmaking taught me the process of making a film and made appreciate and understand films more.

  • ART 355F - Images and words

  • Lighting design

  • My intercultural communication class was very insightful and interesting. It expanded my worldview and led me to ask questions about American culture and how it compared to European culture. My cooking class was fascinating and fun! I really enjoyed learning about Italian food and culture.

  • My Event Planning class was not structured well. During lectures, the teacher read directly off the slides and told us long stories that were not always related. I usually did not know what was expected of me as far as homework and assignments. It was a frustrating and disappointing class. My Photography class was not structured well. It was a five hour long class but the students only took photos every few weeks.

  • I enjoyed my cooking class the most. It was called Italian Regional Food & Cultural Perspective. We learned about the different regions & cooked foods from regions all over Italy.

  • Filmmaking class. I love it because I not only learned the theory of filmmaking through watching movies, and also learned how each role in a filmmaking group make decision, and how a film cannot be produced with just one person, it has to be completed with a team. Also each of us was responsible to make a film, and we would go to different parts of Florence and help them film, so it's also a way to get to know Florence more. The professor (Duccio) was so knowledgeable.

  • The workload was good, I like Italian classes even though I did not intend to exchange credits for it, it was just very fun to learn the language plus the professor was very fun. There was an exam week, and it's very straightforward, each professor would give out instruction long before the exam date, and we would have enough time to prepare.

  • I found History of Prostitution my most meaningful class. It was very interesting to learn more about the Western cultures and how prostitution is readily available in some countries because it is legal to partake in!

  • When I was abroad I took a cooking class called Mediterranean diet where we learned about the nutritional properties of foods and also cooked in class. I found this class to be both very interesting and also very beneficial.

  • I took courses that were about the history and culture of Florence, the city I was studying in. They helped me really connect to the city and learn so many things that I never would have otherwise. I got to know my way around very quickly, and truly appreciate how amazing the city I was living in is.

  • I really enjoyed my music and film class. The class was rooted in studying the evolution of music in movies around the world from the 1920s until now.

  • Palaces of Florence

  • Intermediate Italian 1 and Italian Cuisine History and Practice

  • Child Psychology was very interesting to me. I could relate it to courses I have taken back home and my major. I got to see different world perspectives and I loved it.

  • Italian Digital Filmmaking

  • Palaces of Florence was a very interesting course. We got to tour and learn about the historic buildings and museums in Florence. It was a great way to learn more about the history of Florence and to understand the city better.

  • Psychology of crime, pairing food and wine, and palaces of Florence

  • The class I found the most interesting was my Oil Painting course and my Yoga course. That was my first time painting with oils and my skills gave me the confidence to continue. Yoga gave me inner peace and allowed me to take control of my anxiety.

  • I loved Topics in Nutrition the most.

Summer Term

• • NUH 160 F Italian Regional Food in a Cultural Perspective. I loved this class so much. The teachers were so helpful and I learned a ton about my food heritage.

  • Palaces of Florence because it gave me the opportunity to see places in the city that I would not have gone to before.

  • History of Florence and the Medici family

  • Psychology of Crime, Greek and Roman Mythology

  • I enjoyed the mythology and psychology classes, but it was difficult to take Italian and absorb the material in such a short amount of time.

  • Italian Regional Food Culture ‐ I learned so much about the country that I didn't anticipate learning.

  • The ceramics class I took was very unique. I haven't taken an art class since I was in middle school so to be able to use my hands everyday to create work was new and therapeutic to me. I enjoyed learning through a hands‐on approach vs. a lecture approach.

LdM offers 2-3 excursions each semester, usually to places like the Alps or the Amalfi Coast. These are not included in the program fees (i.e. they cost extra).

There is an internship option for students studying in the Spring semester.

The LdM Clubs Coordinator, in collaboration with the Academic Advisors, coordinates and promotes leadership, community development opportunities, and participation in a wide range of LdM student clubs, including: soccer, cooking, and creative art.

Student Voices on Engagement

• • I volunteered in teaching 4th graders English at an elementary school just outside of the Florence city center. I volunteered once a week for an hour. During that time I was an aid to the teacher and created fun activities for the children to participate in.

From Fall/Spring Term Students

• • LdM activities were a great way to explore Florence that many tourist would never get to experience.

  • I went on many excursions exploring Florence and I was able to become a museum guide volunteer at the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella.

  • My study abroad budget was quite similar than expected. However, I did traveled quite a bit by my own so that also adds up to the cost of my study abroad, but because it was my personal choice, I am glad and happy that I learned a lot more of the Italian culture and places that I visited.

  • I like the LdM activities they provided to make us understand how to survive in Florence and which places to a see interesting things. It located very centrally in Florence which I loved.

  • Couchsurfing, solo traveling might be a good learning experience for individuals who seek to find a more meaningful travel experience. When you learn a language, if you are serious about it, please learn how to pronounce thing correctly so you learn faster and so people can actually understand you. The italian classes offered 2 times a week will never be enough to be enough for a conversation in italian if you do not practice and learn outside of class. Also, students can learn a lot about the country, culture, arts, films prior visiting to get them more excited and knowledgeable about the place ( but not too much because you do not want to have your expectation too high and get disappointed with the perfectly imperfect reality of the place.)

  • The thing I liked most about my program was the city in which I lived. One of my favorite places I have ever been and I am so happy I decided to study there. The thing I liked least was having to take Italian as a requirement.

  • I enjoyed the daily fresh fruit and veggie markets & the vintage markets. I enjoyed exploring the city on walks or runs and I enjoyed traveling. I did not enjoy the strict attendance policy for school.

  • I liked the Italians' emphasis on family and gathering. I also admired their attention to food. The ingredients they use are so fresh and healthy, unlike many American foods. I really admired their focus on recycling and environmental awareness. They do not use plastic bags and they carefully recycle everything they can. I want to bring those habits into my life in America. The Italians had a more relaxed way of life than Americans. They seemed to worry less about details and really enjoy the present moment. After a few months, I found myself adopting that lifestyle. I was less worried about little things and I focused more on the present instead of the future.

  • Florence is the best. People speak enough English where you don't have to learn Italian. The food is absolutely incredible and the wine is even better. Great people. Great history, amazing architecture, everything you are looking for in a European country.

  • It won't be easy, there will be days when you wish you were home, but when you're walking the streets of Italy completely mesmerized by the city's beauty it will all be worth it. Florence, Italy is the home of so many great artists, and the streets radiate beauty and grace. There are places where you can be overwhelmed with all the tourists, and there are places where you feel safe and alone in your thoughts.

  • If you are interested in arts, history, Florence is definitely a good choice. Even though I was an art students, I wasn't that into art museums or the history, however, living in Florence (constantly exposed to the artistic and historic buildings) have made me become more aware of the history of arts, and also make me interested in art museum, and learn how to appreciate art.

  • I loved having the opportunity to get to know a city extremely well and traveling all over Italy and learning regional differences. I more would have been done to help us engage with local or international students, not just students from the US.

  • I definitely liked the people I met while abroad and the friendships I made during class/traveling. I also enjoyed experiencing the Italian culture. It's very laid back! I didn't care for the going-out culture in Italy. It's not very exciting. But I got used to casually drinking and then eating around 8:30 and then going to bed. It's just an adjustment. I got really tired of the food though. Italy doesn't have a lot of diversity beside pizza, paninis, pasta and gelato. It's good food, very fresh though, so it was fine!

  • I liked their willingness to provide support and advice, and I despised all of the LDM trips that only seemed like an extortion for money.

From Summer Term Students

• • I liked the amount of freedom we had to explore the city and meet people, and I really enjoyed the weekend traveling. What I liked the least was probably the workload for classes, and I also didn't really get to know any Italian people.

  • I traveled all over Italy every weekend. Was very involved with the LdM community and did a lot of trips with other students!

  • I loved the university I was studying at, the city I was in, and all the traveling I was able to do through tour groups targeting study abroad kids. Florence was a great location to study at because of all the universities and other study abroad students. It is also way more compact and clean than Rome so I liked that. I loved my classes and my professors as well. They were both so kind, helpful, and made the classes super informative yet fun.

  • Bring lots of bug spray and hydrocortisone cream! Most windows in Italy do not have screens, and the mosquitoes (especially in Florence) were brutal.

  • Listen to the host institution during the orientation; it's hard to focus/stay awake due to how early it is and jet lag, but they give SO MUCH helpful information. Don't be afraid to use them to see more of the city and to do activities with them

  • I would recommend doing Florence without a giant suitcase because of its cobblestone streets and lack of elevators. Walking is the best way to see the sights, and be prepared for an astronomical amount of stairs.

  • The host institution was very organized and helpful. They planned excursions, safety meetings, welcome and farewell events, as well as kept us up to date via email on newest updates and travel warnings.

  • We constantly went on adventures to the biggest tourist attractions while also venturing out on our own to find local gems. We tried as many local restaurants and local foods as we could.