The professors were very engaging Past Review
By Nina A Maggi (Bucknell University) - abroad from 01/06/2019 to 05/22/2019 with
Eastern College Consortium (ECCO): Bologna - Università di Bologna Study Abroad Program
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The professors were very engaging, though there are very limited options for courses you can take (and 2 mandatory courses) |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The professors and program directors were very kind and willing to help but we did not receive a lot of information about the program prior to arriving. I had tried calling to receive more information and my questions were unable to be answered. Quite frankly, I still have no clue what the majority of my tuition for the semester went towards and I was unable to be refunded for program trips that as I was unable to attend (we did not receive a program travel schedule prior to arriving and other trips had already been planned). Again, the professors and directors were extremely kind and had the student's best interest at heart but I felt that there were a lot of organizational/logistical issues. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I was extremely upset to hear from my roommates that they were paying significantly less (only 300-600 euro) to live in a dorm where I was paying thousands of dollars. I would have preferred a dorm that was closer to the center of the city because it did discourage me from seeing the farther parts of the city. I understand that this was a cultural immersion program and liked living with Italian students but at the same time this is still a study abroad program and the visitor policies made it extremely difficult to have friends who were also studying abroad come to visit (especially if it was more than one person). Logistics aside, the showers flooded, at times lights did not work and it was unsafe to not have fire alarms in the residence. |
| * Food: |
The food in Bologna was amazing! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
N/A |
| * Safety: |
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| 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) |
We were given a very small meal stipend comparable to what we were paying for the program. |
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 |
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| 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? | 200-level |
| 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? | Practice speaking while you are ordering in restaurants! Many times, they assumed we wanted to speak English (which was helpful at the beginning while we were adjusting) but if you explain that you're there to practice speaking most personnel at restaurants are happy to help! |
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? | 0 |
