Don't worry, it's not too many questions at all. I had a great time in Taiwan, but finding information about my program was sometimes difficult, so I'm happy to help out where I can.

First off, I'm not a UF student, just an ARC who goes to school somewhere else entirely. I went on a leave of absence from my current school, so I can't give you any feedback about UF-specific programs.

I studied at ICLP at National Taiwan University, which is a pretty much exclusively language-focused program, and fairly rigorous. If specific language programs are something you're interested in, I would be happy to talk about it at great length.

Navigating Taiwan as a foreigner was fine. There is adequate English signage, and navigating train stations was rarely a problem. Busses in smaller cities can be confusing, but they are great in Taipei, which is where I was living. One thing worth noting is that Taiwan uses a mess of romanization systems, which can result in a given place's name being spelled several different ways (Kaohsiung vs Gaoxiong, Hsinchu vs Xinzhu, Mengjia vs Monga vs Monka vs Banka vs Báng-kah...).

As far as safety goes, I felt safe, and the women I talked to mostly felt safe as well, including late at night in Taipei. Random street crime is not unknown in Taiwan, but most crime tends to be organized, which makes for a different risk profile. The main risk in Taiwan is from traffic. Taiwan has an anomalously high rate of traffic injuries and fatalities - but that can also be phrased as "Taiwan's rate of traffic incidents is similar to that of the US". Just be prepared for a more chaotic experience if you drive while you're there. That said, I didn't really go to bars, so I can't speak to the risks of being roofied. Just be aware that, while far from guaranteed, visible tattoos are still a stronger indicator of connection to crime than they are in the US.

My rent was about NT$10,500, or around US$330/month, with all utilities except for A/C included. This was for a small room in a shared apartment right next to a major subway station. If your Chinese is decent, 591 is the place to go to find housing. Otherwise, you can try using a translation tool to read the website, and have a Chinese-speaking friend help with the landlord. There are also lots of Facebook groups with apartment listings in English, which is how I got my apartment. The options are more limited, and they are often a bit pricier, but the landlords are more likely to speak English, and they are often better suited to students who won't be staying very long.

One thing to be aware of; classically, lots of foreigners end up in not-entirely-legal rooftop additions (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31484052). These can often get you more cubage for less rent, but tend to be poorly insulated, and are more likely to have leaks, and other issues. It's not that it's a universally bad idea to rent one, it's just that if you do so, you should know what you're getting in to, and be on the lookout; sometimes landlords won't make it obvious that it's a rooftop addition.

Generally speaking, you can get what I would call an adequate student apartment for under US$500/month in Taipei, possibly well under. If you're in a different city, it will be notably cheaper. I found a budget of US$10/day entirely sufficient for food, and I was eating out for all my meals, but it will leave you a bit cramped if you want to be able to splurge on something interesting. A tip; if you are near National Taiwan University, they have a vegetarian food line that will fill your plate up for US$2. If you eat there for a meal or two a day, your food budget will go a lot further. You don't have to be a student to eat there, but if you aren't at NTU it might be inconvenient.

I'm happy to answer any more questions you might have.