"When in Rome, buy pepper spray or mase...or stay away" Past Review
By Kelsey W (Finance/Economics, University of Hartford) for
API (Academic Programs International): Rome - John Cabot University
cultural awareness was gained. Would love to see more of Europe, done with rome, Liked other parts of italy (florence, siena, orvieto, tuscany)
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. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Awful housing. Water heater broke three times, once it was not fixed after a full week (water was unusable and had to boil water to sponge bath). No working outlet in my room for a light or any other electronic. Key broke in the door (cheap key) and was unable to enter the apartment in the middle of the night (roommates were away), and the staff on call told me to "deal with it somehow", "Stay in a hotel, or find a friend to stay with", but my friend's housing had a strict no overnight guest policy that I told them about, they said they "couldn't help me until Monday or Tuesday (this was on a Friday night). Multiple issues with broken appliances throughout the stay. Also apartment was 2.5 miles away from campus and we had to take public transportation, which I did not mind, except when strikes happened about 2 or 3 times a month, some unexpected, which I missed classes for. Also housing was in a sketchy area, one night one man followed me off of the tram about 11 pm and harassed me and attempted to pin me up against a wall (luckily I got away because someone came around a corner). Overall the experience was not a positive one because of location, and housing. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
needed pepper spray, adapters and extension cords. |
| * Food: |
tony's in trestevere |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Traveling to Ireland was my favorite part (not part of the program though) |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
See comment on being followed home in housing section. Also had to leave taxis early for taxi drivers trying to rub my leg or give me a free ride for something in return. Rome is sketchy, and some people are really perverted. Glad to be home. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 2000$ |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | groceries were more expensive than I expected, as well as personal items (deodorant, shampoo ect. ) |
Language
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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? | DONT GO!! |
