The Modern Cultural and Art of Rome, Italy Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Both courses I took where very educational, challenging, and required hard work. Both classes where on-site where each day the lecture site would change, and both professors were very knowledgeable in their fields.

On-site administration of your program

The administration staff was so loving and helpful. The only thing was that with most events they would remind us very last minute, so sometimes it was inconvenient and personal plans had to be cancelled. Another good thing, was that they were very quick to replying to any issues we had.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I loved the neighborhood I was placed in. I lived in the smallest apartment the program had this summer with three other girls, but we all got along really well. The apartment was in the San Paolo area and was across the street from a supermarket and other stores. The only downside was that there was no AC in the apartment which is a rather common thing in most Italian homes, it just was really hot and we only had two small fans to cool off the whole apartment.

The program provided us with the first few meals during orientation, but for the rest of the program meals were not included therefore everyone was responsible for cooking their own meals. In a way, it was good for me since I never really cooked for myself before so I got learn how to cook and cooking at home is substantially cheaper than eating out.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Since I lived in a non-touristy part of town I felt like I got to build relationships with a lot of the Italian locals. Arcadia also introduced us to native Italians that were our age that we got to hang out with multiple times. Every Italian that I met through the program or just in my neighborhood was so welcoming and helpful. Talking with the Italian young adults was also interesting since we got to compare cultural differences and talk about international politics and their global impacts.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I did not use the health care insurance that was provided to us since I was never sick. The administration did show us where to go if we did have any problems though and any staff member was always available to help set up an appointment if needed.

I believe safety is really in the traveler's hands. I never really felt unsafe since I was never out late or anywhere alone. I did not start doing small trips alone until a month into the program since that is when I started to feel more confident and comfortable with my surroundings. I recommend to always travel with someone else especially if you are going out to bars, and be weary of bars that target American tourists.

The courses I took were amazing and taught me so much. The first course I took was at Modern Life in the Eternal City and learned its history, architecture, and food by walking the streets of Rome. The second course I got to sketch all around the city and learn about all the influential artist who have sculpted Rome to what it is today. The staff, professors, and students were so wonderful I truly had an amazing experience living the life of an Italian.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

I feel like I did try to limit my expenses, but I traveled a lot and that is what was expensive. Groceries weren't expensive, clothes were reasonable if you don't go to designer places or shops near the historic center, and souvenirs could sometimes add up to large amounts of money. My parents funded my trip with a small scholarship from Arcadia.

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• Apartment

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• Americans

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• Americans

• On-site classes
• The course content
• Professors and classmates

• Communication, sometimes because direction were unclear we had trouble finding the class site.
• Organizaiton
• Responses. I am used to professors that respond within minutes and one of my professors would take forever to reply to me which was frustrating.

The Academic or Linguist