Best experience of my life. Past Review
By A student (HISTORY., Barnard College) - abroad from 01/10/2012 to 05/26/2012 with
Eastern College Consortium (ECCO): Bologna - Università di Bologna Study Abroad Program
everything. of course.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
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 |
Ecco is really a great program. they create a close-knit community. they are very available to help us with any needs. it is a smart supportive program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
the best part of ECCO is getting set up in the dorms with other italian students. this fully immersed us in the language and culture. i loved my roommates, and i loved the suite i lived in |
| * Food: |
the best food in the world! we got montly food allowances at ecco. to grocery shop with, to eat at restaurants, whatever fit the budget (or maybe more) i had trouble for a few weeks coming back to lousy food in america. everything there is fresh, organic, no preservatives etc... |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
bologna is really a great city for that experience. there aren't many tourists, so the locals aren't bombarded with Americans every day. they are pretty receptive and welcoming. they don't automatically resort to speaking english and many of them can't. italian culture is very much preserved there, it feels like stepping into a different world. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
i didnt specifically have many healthcare issues while abroad, but a friend on the program did and she repeated some rather unintelligent things the main physician we were advised to said. the one thing i had to go to him for, he misled me on. he told me i needed to go to this certain organization for a special physical to register for the Rome marathon. i paid 50 euros for nothing. |
| * Safety: |
travel in groups at night. it is pretty safe but can sometimes feel a little eerie if you're walking by yourself late. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
its a little difficult to say because i did much traveling and spent a lot of my own money. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | ? |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | buy vegetables and fruit from the vegetable lady if you live in forni! so cheap, so fresh, right off the farms. take advantage of alimentarias but go to grocery for things like cookies, cereal, bread...go out to eat as a treat and when traveling. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
they pretty much spoke to us only in italian. very rarely they spoke to us in english. they encouraged us to speak italian to each other and we did, especially with roommates around, but sometimes of course we used english with each other |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | intermediate 2 |
| 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? | be confident even if you feel like you sound like an idiot. most people will encourage you for trying. talk to your roommates, they are your best resources. there are many interesting conversations to be had |
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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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
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? | nothing |
