Great way to learn Italian, bad way to get to know Italy Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Generally good level of intensity for a study abroad program - not too much work, but still challenging. The Italian intensive in Lecce in particular was excellent.

On-site administration of your program

If I could rate this 0 stars I would. The administration was deeply unfriendly, unhelpful, and oftentimes overtly racist and sexist, asking students of color "where they were REALLY from" and giving blatantly preferential treatment to male students. They made open judgments about students' choices and often made them feel stupid and unwelcome. Daniela from the Lecce program was wonderful, but everyone at the Bologna program was unbelievably rude and their jobs seemed quite unnecessary.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Not only were the residences out-of-date, dirty, and unsafe (we had someone try to break into our room from the public park bordering it on one side), there were also ridiculously strict rules about behavior - no guests after midnight, weekly deep cleanings, bed-making rules, and over-supervision by the "portieres" who enjoyed wielding undue power over American students. The other students in our dormitories were almost all in graduate school and had no interest in getting to know us, and were oftentimes overtly unfriendly. Beyond that, the dormitories were a 35-45 minute walk from downtown Bologna, meaning that it was very difficult to spend any time actually down there and much cultural experience was lost.

The cooking classes with Rita Mattioli were wonderful, I learned a lot and everything was delicious. However, our food allowance was not nearly enough to cover even basic groceries, let alone eating out and exploring the food culture of Bologna. I dipped heavily into my savings for this semester despite the huge expense of the program itself.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I had hoped to get close to my housemates and other people at the school, but they generally stuck to themselves and didn't seem interested in getting to know Americans. Meeting people in bars and downtown was slightly easier, and the Erasmus program was great for meeting international students. Speaking Italian was essential for getting to know people, and I was very grateful for the Lecce training beforehand.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

There was a good presentation about healthcare options at the beginning of the program, and the free sessions of counseling provided were very helpful to some of my fellow students. However, sexual health was treated as very taboo, with only one STD clinic available that was open for 3 hours once a week. I myself was not involved in risky sexual behavior, but I could easily see how a student could get into trouble and not have the resources to deal with it.

Italian men are VERY sexually aggressive - in clubs and bars I was often grabbed or kissed without consent in ways that made me feel very uncomfortable. We also had an instance of someone attempting to break into our bedroom while my roommate was napping. I felt generally safe walking home alone at night, though, and most locations felt fairly safe.

Would have chosen a program with a lot more support

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

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

Basically a complete immersion program

Select all that apply

• Dorm

Select all that apply

• Local Students

Select all that apply

• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• Lecce program
• Italian learning
• Cooking classes

• Living conditions
• Excursion/trip offerings
• Expanded course offerings

The Academic or Linguist