Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I attended the pre-program in Lecce, Puglia, Italy, before going to Bologna. This introductory program was very helpful in easing the transition into an environment of full immersion, and was pretty fair, academically (not very rigorous/challenging, but useful). During my time studying at the University of Bologna I took a combination of classes directly though the University and through my program (taught by UniBo professors). The style of education instruction, at least in the humanities, is completely different from that in the U.S. There is much less emphasis on written work, students instead being expected to memorize, internalize, and regurgitate information during a final oral exam (which can also be a defense of a written work, generally oral though). Although the academic experience was fair, I felt I was actually learning more just by experiencing a completely different style of education as compared to what I was learning in the classroom. I would have benefitted more from a more critical/analytical style of education, but it was a great experience to have something different from that which I am accustomed to at a small liberal arts school.

On-site administration of your program

The administrators that work permanently in the ECCO office in Bologna are absolutely stellar and capable. I gave a low rating, however, because our program director (for the particular semester that I went abroad -- NOTE: this position changes every year) did NOT have a good command of the Italian language, was generally unable to deal with our concerns/problems adequately, and, although she was quite nice, was just not fit for administrating in general. Happily, I don't believe that after this year she will be overseeing the program for quite some time, if ever.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My particular housing situation was not very good -- it was an apartment-style dorm, which I shared with 3 other men. Although I had decent relationships with my housemates, we lived in doubles (2 people in each room), we were limited to having any "guests" (of any sort: friends, relatives, girlfriends, etc.) stay over in our rooms for more than 3 nights of a given month (although this rule was frequently disregarded, with relative ease), and the facilities were fair. I spent a lot of time at my friend's apartment, which was in the same dorm complex, which was also much larger/newer, and had better facilities. Housing placement was random, from what we could tell. Our complex (Ghigi) was located about 1/2 hour walk from the city center, in a not-so-nice if quite safe area of the city. I was one of the few students who managed to buy a used bike, which greatly facilitated transportation to/from class, other parts of the city, etc. The other Italians/internationals with whom we lived were typically quite friendly, with definite exceptions.

I learned how to cook in Italy -- there was no cafeteria of any sort in the dorms/university, and so students were responsible for cooking all of their own food (or eating out, and the food in Bologna is, overall, spectacular). I arrived in Italy with a general knowledge of cooking, but I could not cook very well. Upon leaving, I could cook many different dishes, main courses, vegetables, desserts, you name it. It was a phenomenal experience that has served me very well since returning to the States.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

This is a category that does not need much of a description: every experience will be unique to each individual person, but my experience in Italy (both during the pre-program in Lecce and in Bologna) was, quite literally, life changing. Getting to know a different way of life, a new people, a drastically different but still frighteningly similar culture, a new cuisine, etc. etc. was just indescribably incredible. Bologna, in particular, as a city was unbelievably welcoming, fit with its own culture and style. If you're going on this program in the Fall semester, you absolutely MUST go to Lecce, to not do so would be to rob yourself of an incredible experience in paradise (and this is also where the foundations of your friendships with those in your program are formed).

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

We had an American doctor through the ECCO program who was quite capable, if often curt. He was very accessible, however, and always responded/followed up with appointments. I had some experiences dealing with hospitals in Bologna, and they were quite efficient and provided adequate care (for friends, luckily I never ended up in the hospital). As a city, Bologna is extremely safe, although there are ways in which you can make it considerable less safe for yourself -- a perfect example is getting a bicycle. Although I never once regretted my decision to purchase a bike (the procedure for which was a bit sketchy in itself, as new bikes are VERY expensive (around 150/200 euro), and used bikes are sold on the street...), as it completely opened the city up, biking in Bologna (or any Italian city ) is very dangerous. I was not smart about it, often reckless, and did not wear a helmet (virtually no one one riding a vespa wore a helmet, although we all should have), but you had to dodge buses, other cars, motorino (vespa) riders.....it was absolutely exhilarating, but dangerous. Overall, however, Bologna is very, very safe, the program office is in a great/safe location, and help was always there if you needed it.

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

I arrived in Italy with a fair knowledge of Italian, able to have a conversation (with some difficulty, slowly, without a good command of many tenses, etc.). After leaving Bologna, I felt that I was near-fluent in Italian, lacking primarily in subject-specific vocabulary (e.g. scientific/health-related vocabulary, for a very specific example).

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