I had the time of my life June 12, 2024
By A student (Classics, Wellesley College) - abroad from 01/24/2024 to 05/10/2024 with
ICCS / Centro: Rome - The Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome
The program put Classical Studies into context and helped me understand the ramifications of this field in today's world. Although this program mostly focuses on the ancient, there was a real emphasis on the fact that Rome does not exist to be the custodian of ancient things, but is its own, living, modern city. As I climbed through Etruscan tombs, walked over mosaics in Ostia, and climbed temple ruins in Sicily, I learned more than I ever could at my home institution. I've also made some of the most amazing friends I could ever ask for, not to mention the phenomenal Centro staff and professors. I will carry this program with me for a long time.
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 Centro is an academically rigorous study abroad program. It's a place for Classics geeks, and it can be intensive. But, if you enjoy the subject it's very worthwhile. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The Centro is great, but sometimes cramped. Some people have singles, but other rooms are doubles, most of which are bunk beds. There is a sink in each room though, which is nice. |
| * Food: |
The food is great. They cook hot, multi-couse meals three times a day during the week, and there a stipend for the weekends. The only downside is that the vegetarian option was usually mozzarella and tomato, which I'm not a big fan of, but there was always some sort of pasta also, so I was okay. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
This is a Classics program, not an Italian program. There is an Italian class you can take and an Italian table at some dinners, but the priority of the program is not to improve your Italian skills or knowledge. The instructors place a real emphasis on the role of Classics in Rome today and throughout Italian history, but there weren't a ton of class opportunities to get to know Italians aside from the Centro staff (who were wonderful). |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Rome is a big city, but I felt safe. The Centro neighborhood, especially, was nice and quiet and safe to walk around at night. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I would give the Centro more than a perfect rating if I could. Especially for Classics, there is no other program I could have learned as much as I did. It was very rewarding, and I made such close connections with the professors and have new lifelong friends. |
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) |
I would say it depends on the student. The program provided the vast majority of our meals and you could take leftovers for the weekends. We also are provided bus passes by the program, and have student cards that get us into most museums. Most of my expenses were weekend travel. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 50 euro |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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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 |
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? | I would say that I had a fairly good understanding that the program would be academically rigorous before I got there, but many of my friends did not. There was not much down time, and we worked hard. I learned a lot, but that being said, it would have been nice to have a bit more time to explore the city on my own. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
