“Yes. I would recommend this program to other students. While in Florence l saw other programs that had to pay extra for there excursions unlike ours which were already paid for through our tuition. Our deal was better.”
- LaShawnda Beasley, Georgia State University, Italy Summer

Excursions

Below is a graph depicting the results from our Florence Summer returnee surveys.  The students were asked to rate their experiences on some GSE cultural events and excursions.  You can use these results to get a better idea of possible events we provide and what students thought of them. 


Onsite Program Director

“She was one of the most amazing people I have ever met. She was so nice and everyone loved being in her company. She had such a fun spirit and I don’t think I could have ask for a better person to show me around Italy.”
- Kate Hunt, East Carolina University, Italy Summer

“She was amazing! She know what she was talking about. She was always so friendly. She was stern when she had to be (which wasn't really ever). She genuinely cared about us having a good time.”
- Cailin Ywuc, Northeastern University, Italy Summer

“He shared our passion for the trip and truly helped us. By the end on July he was no longer our advisor, but part of the group. We knew that if there was anything we needed we could count on Giorgio to help us out. He knows the city very well and showed us some amazing places. I don't think he ever let us down with a trip or a meal. He always had a plan for us.”
- Michael Poiarkoff, Seton Hill University, Italy Summer

“Giorgio was always available and ready to help. If we had questions or places that we wanted to go, he always found the answer and helped us get there. If anyone in our group was sick or had a problem he would drop everything and was there. It was great!!! He took us to wonderful places in Rome that were away from the tourist areas. We got the best Roman experience because of Giorgio.”
- LeAnn Winter, Kansas State University, Italy Summer

“She was extremely welcoming and always looking out for everyone and helping us with getting home. She treated everyone equally and was equally kind of all of us!”
- Jaclyn Burch, California State University Northridge, Italy Summer

“She was INCREDIBLE! Chiara was very personable and took the time to get to know everyone. She never appeared stressed in front of the group and always had everything under control.”
- Tamzin Smith, Texas A&M University, Italy Summer

“Giorgio is amazing at everything he does. We were always organized and he really went above and beyond in terms of his responsibilities with us.”
- Lindsay Sable, Home University: - University of Rochester, Italy Summer

“I was amazed of how she was able to keep up with everything and keep everything organized while she was 7 months pregnant! Very strong woman. She did rest when she needed it. Which I am grateful about! She recommended different places to eat and different activities to do and I wasn't disappointed in any of her suggestions! It shows that she really loves her work and appreciates her culture and country.”
- LaShawnda Beasley, Georgia State University, Italy Summer

“We could not have been any luckier with our onsite director. She was so nice and extremely helpful.”
- Monique Dewarrat, Mesa Community College, Italy Summer

“Best person for the Job! Becacame more of a family member to us then anything else!”
- Nicholas S. McCartney, Kutztown University, Italy Summer 

 
 Fall

Would you recommend the program to other students? 

“Yes! It was amazing and I had the best time of my life. GSE made it easy for me.”
- Lauren Silverstein, California State University Northridge, Italy Fall

“Yes, after talking with many of students from different programs, it was clear that GSE offered the best.”
- Nick Brown, California State University Long Beach, Italy Fall

“Yes, I would definitely recommend this program to other students. So much is included, especially trips, and our apartment location in the city was unparalleled.”
Christy Maguire, University of California, Santa Barbara, Italy Fall

“YES!!..i would recommended it completely!. Because the experiences we've had thanks to the scheduled trips, have been extraordinary.”
- Alyssa Bonzek, Gwinnett Technical College, Italy Fall

“Yes, I would recommend this program to other students. The planned GSE activities, and helpful staff members made the experience of being in Florence much better than other students I have met.”
-Gina Baxter, California State University Fullerton, Italy Fall

“I would definitely recommend this program to others. GSE staff was extremely helpful in the entire process before I left. Also, the excursions which were included were very nice (a lot of students in my classes were jealous that their program did not have anything like that) I felt lucky to have everything planned out in Rome, Venice, and Cinque Terre. I was very thankful in that sense.”
- Carrie Nasby, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, Italy Fall

“Yes I definitely would. Compared to other programs, the cost is not bad. The excursions made the program worth it! Eleonora was such a wonderful contact and we had the best times on excursions with great accommodations. Most other programs do not include excursions. The housing was great and much larger than I thought they would be, as well as very close to everything. Overall, GSE was a great program and I am so glad I chose it. After hearing from other study abroad students, I realized that GSE is one of the better programs for sure.”
-Carly Chittim, University of California, Santa Barbara, Italy Fall

“I would definitely recommend this program to other students. GSE basically held my hand through the entire application process, class registration and pre-departure process (i.e. obtaining a visa, etc) and everything was so easy and stress-free. Some of my friends who went through different programs did not have this luxury, and that's something I'm grateful for. GSE took care of everything, set me up with great housing and Eleonora was a fantastic help and a lot of fun. The trips were amazing, we stayed in great hotels and the activities were well organized and a lot fun. I'd definitely recommend GSE!”
- Emelie Engstrom, University of California, Santa Barbara, Italy Fall

“I would Definitely recommend this program to anyone considering studying abroad in general. First, I think Florence is the perfect place to study because it is small, but not too small. (if that makes any sense.) I loved that i could literally be within a 15 min walk max from everything. I also, loved how there was always something to do here. And, i would def recommend going through GSE. You guys were great, I loved the fact that we had all of the Excursions, it didn't seem like any other program i heard about offered that many excursions. So it was really nice.”
- Anthony Virzi, California State University Northridge, Italy Fall

Excursions

Below is a graph depicting the results from our Florence Fall returnee surveys.  The students were asked to rate their experiences on some GSE cultural events and excursions.  You can use these results to get a better idea of possible events we provide and what students thought of them. 


Onsite Program Director

“She was an all around amazing counselor. She always completed her job requirements perfectly, but went above and beyond in constantly having a great personality and truly caring for us.”
- Nick Brown, California State University Long Beach, Italy Fall

“She has great knowledge of Florence and her helpfulness has been great, and she is just a delight to spend your time with.”
- Alyssa Bonzek, Gwinnett Technical College, Italy Fall

“Her kindness and ability to truly get along with us all and unite us. She was amazing! She was not too clingy- she allowed us to find out what we needed to on our own, but then she was there whenever needed, as well. She was organized on the trips, chose amazing hotels and restaurants, and truly made every excursion memorable!”
-Carly Chittim, University of California, Santa Barbara, Italy Fall

“She was very approachable, easy to talk to and a lot of fun. She was always excited to see us and would come meet us for coffee or dinner outside of GSE functions, which we really enjoyed getting to do. She offered a lot of cultural knowledge and had a lot of fun suggestions of things to do and see in Florence.”
- Emelie Engstrom, University of California, Santa Barbara, Italy Fall