CEA in Rome: Small but Mighty Past Review
By A student (Teacher Education by Subjects, Providence College) - abroad from 01/12/2016 to 04/29/2016 with
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Rome, Italy
I learned a lot about religion and ethics (my 2 favorite courses here). I also learned a lot about the meaning of friendship, how to maintain long distance relationships, how to be independent, to persevere when difficult situations arise, and to stay positive!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Classes were really hard, but not too hard! It was a perfect balance of rigorous and realistic. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration here is immensely helpful! Any problem or advice I had they were always there to help, literally. There is a 24/7 phone number that an administrator (one or three that you see everyday and know personally) will always be ready to answer. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I live better here than I do at home! Any problems we had were immediately fixed. From getting a new washing machine to unclogging the drain, everything was taken care of. We even had a cleaning lady. |
| * Food: |
CEA doesn't provide a meal plan, but any time they did provide means (first and last night, weekend trips) it was amazing! |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
They have volunteer opportunities, cooking classes, and clay making classes. I think there could be more though! |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I got sick, and was immediately given a same-day appointment with a specialist that spoke sufficient english. My administrator served as a middle man to translate when necessary. When my roommate got really sick a doctor showed up at our apartment in the middle of the night! So helpful. |
| * Safety: |
I never felt unsafe in this city. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
This program was supportive, catered to all my needs, I felt safe and I learned more than I ever expected! |
Finances
|
* 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) |
Rome is not an expensive city, its very easy to stick to a budget here. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $40/week maximum |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Make a budget! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
|
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
|
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | High school Spanish IV |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Keep trying! Don't give up! Use the language outside of school. |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I didn't travel as much as I did. I would have liked to spend more weekends in Rome. |
