Perugia: Umbra Institute Past Review
By Nicholas A (Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin) for
Arcadia: ISI Perugia - The Umbra Institute
Yes, it was exactly what I wanted socially. The Psych internship program at Umbra was amazing and my favorite part academically.
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. |
Workload was very dependent on classes. Teaching methods and grading system varied as well. Overall not as good as I expected. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
City is great, program is small and great socially but weak academically. Very costly, Italians pay less than 1,000 dollars to go to university in the same city. If you're italian is good, look into the school for foreigners (stranieri). |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
Cheap, and great for vegetarians. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Great for those who are not that fluent. Big nightlife scene, but only a few clubs. Good bars and pubs. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
There were some fights between American students and locals (mostly the Tunisians). Perugia has a huge drug market, and it is very easy to get marijuana as well as harder drugs, but the dealers are very sketchy. Unless you are looking for trouble, you will be fine in Perugia. |
| 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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Was in highest level Italian. Didn't speak Italian as much as I expected. Overly focused on grammar. Only time I really used the language was in classes and when out buying things. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | One of the best in Italy. Great place to study, close to Rome and Florence, and you won't be treated like a tourist the entire time. Perfect fit for someone looking to get better at Italian in a smaller town without sacrificing social life. If you're Italian is good, go to the Università per Stranieri to study Instead. Overall, fantastic city but Umbra is only an average school. It is small (only a little over 100 students). The food program is fantastic, the business courses are a joke. |
