Intensive Course

Ich hätte mir mehr DiDifferenzierung in der Schulklasse in Bezug auf den Wissenstand gewünscht

In the class we were 7 students, one American, two Mexicans, one Spanish, one Brazilian, one Japanese and me from Norway.
It was very difficult to understand some of the other students, especially the mix of spanish and italian. One of the students was placed at the wrong level, it must have been difficult for her.
The teacher was nice and clever. She saw evryone and got everyone involved.
The location was central, and perfect for me. I arrived with the train from from Pietrasanta every day. Our classroom was terrible. The acoustics were miserable. The room was small with correspondingly little fresh air, we should have had the window open, but it was difficult because of the traffic outside.
Otherwise the facilities were ok.
As an activity I attended a winetasting in Pisa with one of the other teachers, she was very nice. It was a shame that a group of the other studedents only spoke their own mother tongue, in fact, it was quite rude.
I was at the school only one week. It is probably too short to have a full value, but I was inspired to get on with my italian studies in Norway.
Thank you.
Cordiali saluti
Liv

I was a little disappointed as there was only one level. Of course I learned some, but overall the level was too high for me.
The teacher spoke too rapidly for me to understand it all, also because of some really poor classrooms with an extremely bad acoustic so I had really problems hearing. I tried to use my hearing aid, but it just made much more noise.

Location very central but I missed a room for a break, a cup of coffee and informal speak with other students. Copies were in bad condition. I did not hear about activities.
I made my own housing via airbnb

I am very happy to have passed five weeks in the school, the teachers are very cute and the lessons very interesting, I do progress. Every thing is very nice. My flat is wonderful, Annalisa wonderful.
Thank you for your help, I am happy. The place is so nice. Pisa interesting.

The classes were very sharp and precise, the teacher competent and friendly. We were only 3 persons in the class, and the 2 others had been there for months.
The location was excellent, near the railway station, in the center, optimal.
The classroom had an awful acoustic and there was noise from the aircon. The teacher talked very distinct and loud and was easy to hear, but the 2 other persons were not expected to talk like him, and therefore it could be difficult to hear everything.
There was no common activity at all outside the class.

The housing? You mean the family I lived with?
It was a nice location, difficult to find at first. But I'd have preferred to know, that the lady had 2 dogs inside, one of them was very noisy. Sometimes also at night.
The breakfast I've paid for was very little and sparing: 1 cup of coffee and 1 little cup with yogurt. Basta.
I had to ask for toilet paper!

It was a single and elderly woman,very kind, who had housed students from that school for many years. She talked a lot, was kind of lonely and in doubt what to do with her 3 houses and all material stuff (and money, I guess), but was not interested to listen that much..

Although I was permitted to use the fridge and kitchen, I did not feel welcome to do it.

I find two of my three weeks very instructive, as I had a very good teacher. Unfortunately, there was a change of teachers, which I found very regrettable because the new teacher was much less experienced than the previous one.
I only had 2 hours of one-to-one lessons instead of the 4 lessons, but this was also very good as I was able to respond to my wishes in a very concrete way.
One big criticism, however, is that I did not get a conversation group that matched my level.
Although I could practice my Italian in groups, it was not what the school promised. In addition, the conversation group was significantly larger (more than 5 people), as promised.

All in all, the teachers and the staff were very pleasant and gave her as much as possible to make my stay at the school nice.

This was a very awesome experience with mixed students member in the class, different and intensive topics, very nice and challenging teachers. The school place is located near by the central station just like the housing. The housing keeper was very gently and polite, I was very impressed.

The only thing which could be better is the clean situation, but acceptable.

AT least I have intensive, nice and welcomed experience. Thanks a lot.

The staff was very professional and friendly.

My field experience in Italy as a student was exceptional because every feature of the program offered me an aspect of what it meant to be Italian. The class settings were perfect for the occasion, especially in Viareggio where there was a great deal of Italian culture. I would make a suggestion that the teachers re-evaluate the levels in which they may have placed students, though I do not say this from personal experience. I could agree that some students were placed at a higher level than they should have been placed. Despite that opinion, my teacher did a great job accommodating students at any level.

The activities we had were fun, adventurous, and informative, and they complemented the experience. The housing also complemented the experience because I felt like I was staying at an Italian's home rather than a commercial hotel, which I believe could have put me at a disadvantage because I learned so much staying at that particular hotel. Dinner also had a traditional family-themed ambiance that I really connected to.

Great structure. Professors' feedback helps students. Down to earth learning style. Loved all my teachers. Activities made me feel at home.

The location is perfect, very close to Pisa Centrale and pleasantly located in Tuscany. The teachers are fun, easy-going, and caring. You get a real family feel while you are there. Don't expect anything special from the facilities; it's run down and small just like most of the other buildings in Italy. However, it still has its charm.

Alessio is a very friendly and patient person, which was very helpful when teaching. The location and facilities were appropriate.

In the beginning it was nice, then new advanced students started to join the course and of course I got lost. Actually I also don't like the idea of forcing to speak. Usually people speak a language when they feel comfortable and more confident.

I didn't like the textbook and I don't think this is a good way of teaching a new language. It's not about reading very difficult essays and finally you start to guess the answer from the context. For me I would prefer to teach using simple written Italian conversations. Or short and simple stories. Unfortunately I lost my chance to speak Italian.

Anyway, the problem is not about the teacher, the teacher was so nice and in a short time we trusted him. But the problem was with the approach and the organisation. You can't mix different levels and concentrate on the advanced students, this way you lose the other students.

Actually I quit the course when you changed the teacher, because the other teacher concentrated on only one student and totally ignored us.

The teachers at the Istituto Linguistico Mediterraneo are friendly and competent and do their very best to make your stay and classes as comfortable and educational as possible. They also arrange activities outside school so you get to socialise a bit more than you would've otherwise.

The school is located close to the train station - easy to find. The classrooms are a bit small at times but other than that I have nothing negative to say about the school. I had a very pleasant experience and would recommend the school to anyone studying Italian.

I chose a homestay and the family was very friendly and accommodating.

I had a great experience at the ILM in Pisa. The teachers and staff were all very helpful and friendly. The classes were small so I had lots of opportunities to practice speaking. The teachers created a good environment so I felt comfortable asking questions if I didn't understand something. It's a relatively small school which makes for a friendly learning atmosphere however, because there were only a limited number of classes if you were finding it hard in one class there was not the opportunity to change classes. They organised trips around Pisa when there was a celebration happening in the city and activities to do with the whole school if you wished to partake.
The location is great; very central, near the station and surrounded by some lovely cafes for a break-time coffee.
I would recommend studying at the Istituto Linguistico Mediterraneo.

Though I had a small holiday course in Viareggio (2013), the time that I spent there was really great. It was my first time in Italy and I got a lot of good memories from that comparatively short period of time. I lived in a nice comfortable apartment with 3 other students from ILM. And it would have been still better if there was a lift in our house and if it wasn't situated so close to the noisy road. What I liked is that it took just about 5 minutes to get to school from the house where our apartment was.
The teachers at school were excellent! I really liked it that besides classes they organized trips to other Tuscan towns, introduced us to the Italian culture, helped us and treated us like friends, which is very important. So we learned outside school as well.
By the way, being a student of ILM allowed us to have a discount at one of the town beaches (what is summer without the sea!) that are normally not very cheap.
I can say that I'm very glad I had chosen ILM as a summer language school and I'd love to go there again. I had a great time there (and I probably would have had even more fun had I stayed longer and come a bit earlier because those 2 weeks were the last before holiday course in Viareggio closed). I certainly improved my Italian even with a light course. GRAZIE, ILM! :)

By the first week I felt like I had been studying at your institute for a long time. Nothing bothered or disturbed me. I studied with nice people. My classmates were well-graduated people, meaning I am thinking ILM has a good reputation.

The teachers were very patient and the lessons were well- organized. So even though my mother language is far different from Italian I could learn a lot in the short period. They especially explained the grammar patiently until I understood.
I also learned about the Italian culture during the lessons.That was very helpful in order to understand the country and that made my life in Italy comfortable.
The students were very international. The lessons were always unpredictable and were interesting.
But this substance is based on my experience which was in the beginner or intermediate class. The advanced class will be different from that and speaking would be the main thing in the class.
The school is favorably located. It is near the train station and it is convenient to go to the center of the city.

I liked the way the professor organized the lectures, especially when you are teaching a class who has very little knowledge about the Italian language. Those classes gave enough vocabulary and knowledge to do daily things and get basic information in Italian.

I have been studying Italian with Istituto Linguistico Mediterraneo within my PhD studies at IMT Alti Studi Lucca.

I had two language instructors, Ida and Alessio Nessi, who both have been engaging and inspiring.

I took classes within the facilities of my PhD school in Lucca and the instructors from SLM have always been arriving to classes on time and are prepared.

Thanks to SLM, I felt much more comfortable in Italy as I mastered the basics of Italian language.