Rome: Bring Your Big Girl Pants (Grow Up & Out of Your Jeans) Past Review
By Katlyn F (BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES., Saint Anselm College) for
AIFS: Rome - Richmond in Rome and Internship Program
COMPLETELY. I have been back for a month and a half and I still don't realize where I went. I traveled through multiple European countries and got to meet amazing people. I will never forget my time abroad. It will be something I can reflect on for the rest of my life.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
For workload, refer to above comment. Grading seemed fair throughout my experience, although I have not received my final grades. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I wish that we had maybe gone to school with students from other programs, or even some Italian students. The fact that it was all the AIFS program, all the time provided a few challenges, but none to be upset about! The whole staff was helpful and great for any question or comment that we had. I had a wonderful experience with them and would recommend them to anyone. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Our housing was traditional Italian. I feel that we had the best location in the entire program, but our actual housing accommodations inside, were not very nice. The floors were always dirty and the bathrooms were very unsanitary. Everything was very cold and unwelcoming inside. If i has not been there with friends and comfortable, I would have had a hard time in this apartment. Everything was so cold, that you never felt "at home". That could be challenging for someone who is studying abroad alone. |
| * Food: |
What's not to like about Italian Cuisine? |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
AIFS Rome took us to Florence, Pompeii, Capri, Naples, Venice, Siena and Pisa. They helped us to see as much of Italy as possible. I don't know of another program that did this. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Walking alone at night is a bad idea. The things to stay safe in Rome are common sense. A doctor was available, but at a hefty charge. Nothing came cheap. You don't need any vaccines before entering Rome. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | You will go through A LOT of money. Have financial backing from your school for as much as possible. Food and travel are not cheap. Everything is expensive. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If you have an oven, take the cooking classes offered, and cook for yourself. Everything is expensive. Fresh, in season fruit can usually be an inexpensive snack, compared to everything else. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Basic Spoken Italian |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Most people spoke enough English to understand, but we could use our Italian in any setting. The classroom taught us practical use of the language, such as restaurant and store dialogue. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Studying abroad is for someone looking for something more than the traditional college experience. You can spend your weekends at Frat Parties for 7 out of 8 semesters. Take one and spends your weekends AND weeks meeting people from around the world all in search of something more. I highly recommend Europe because you can travel as much as you want. Take your time and spend all of your money on anything and everything you want, because you are never getting this chance back. Sleep, no need. Live and sleep when you get home. Your friends at home will still be there when you get back and if they aren't, well then they aren't friends. And anyway, chances are, you have a few good friends from abroad who will understand EVERYTHING that you went through. Don't ever be afraid to study abroad, be afraid to miss it. |
