Rome: Eternal City of Memories Past Review
By Mark G (Television & Radio/ Audio Production, Ithaca College) for
API (Academic Programs International): Rome - John Cabot University
Amazing time. Once in a lifetime experience. Study abroad.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The workload was fine, mid terms and finals were pretty unbearable. No difference in education system. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Our Program leaders Audra, and Cristina, were awesome. You could ask them anything. They were more like big sisters to us than in charge of us. They helped us out with everything we needed. They really helped make the trip more enjoyable. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My neighborhood was very safe, in the Vaticano area, right next to the Vatican. The woman who owned the apartment would come by once a week and change our sheets and give us new towels as well. She was very nice. My apartment was right next to a supermarket, and a bus stop. Very awesome location. Close to everything that you would want to be close to. |
| * Food: |
It's Italian food c'mon it's the best in the world. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
All of the trips we went on were amazing. My favorite place in Italy I went to was the island of Capri. It was like a dream. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
It was very safe. |
| 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? | Groceries - 50-60 Euro a week Traveling - 200 - 400 Euro a week (I didn't travel every week, but when I did that's how much an entire trip would usually cost) |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Don't eat out all the time. I rarely did and I saved a lot of money. Groceries are relatively cheap in Rome. But because it is Rome they will jack up the price of food at restaurants or eateries. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I took an Italian class in school while I was there. |
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? | API is awesome. It's unbelievable how nice our apartments were. They were beautiful. I can't believe that we got what we got for how much we paid. |
