Advice about Milan please?

Hi,





In two years i'm hoping to do an exchange in Italy at Bocconi University in Milan (because that's the only University in Italy that offers exchanges for students from my university).





Anyway, I would like to know from someone who lives in Milan -- or even better, goes to Bocconi:


What Milan is like.





How much money I should save for one year -- for general living, travelling and shopping.





If i should go to Milan at all (because my mum's worried about Mafia etc even though I told her they're in southern Italy...right?)





I speak a little Italian and I'll be getting lessons as part of the exchange programme...will it be very difficult for me having limited Italian? (the courses i'll take are in english).





How easy is it to travel to other countries from Milan, eg. Spain, France or England? Does it cost much??





Sorry for all the questions, mostly i really just want to know what Milan is like (the truth please), what the people are like and what i should expect. The rest I can find out myself but i'd like to know this from a local and not a travel agency who will probably not tell me all the facts.





Thanks to any answers, they're much appreciated.Advice about Milan please?
I studied in the U.S. and did exchange in Bocconi 5 years ago. First off, I have to tell you that this was probably the best experience in my life and I am so glad I did it. Milan has great ambiance, amazing food, very good museums and lots of people you can socialize with from student network to expats, to just people you meet everywhere. Milan is one of the best cities in Italy for a foreigner to live. It is more worldly than many other Italian cities, there are different types of cuisines, large expat communities, and many exchange/ foreign students in the universities, especially in Bocconi.





Milan isn't cheap but how much you need depends on where you are willing to live (which area/ how far from school/ with or without roommates), how much you'll travel and where you'll be staying while traveling, and where you'll be eating. When I was there you could rent a room in an apartment 10-15 min walk from school with 2 other roommates for about 400 euro (per person). Meal in restaurants can get expensive, but pizzerias are generally cheaper, and there are many inexpensive cafes around school.





Milan is not huge, easily navigable by subway and trams, or even on foot in the central areas. It makes a good base for traveling to the rest of the country or around Europe with its Milano Centrale train station that connects you to every other city in Italy (Rome, Florence, Venice, Naples accessibly by high-speed Eurostar trains). There are two large airports in the city, I traveled to Berlin, Cote D'Azur in France, and even Istanbul easily from Milan. We also went to Venice, Verona, Parma, Bologna, Tuscany, Rome, Amalfi Coast, Sicily, and many other places by train.





Limited Italian language is not a problem there, I spoke no Italian before I got there at all (my classes were in English too) and I learnt necessary amount to explain myself in 4 months. People certainly don't speak much English in Milan but they are extremely friendly and are willing to help you out when you feel like you can't explain yourself.





Mafia is not a problem in Milan, certainly not for laypeople and students anyway.





http://www.GlassOfVenice.com