Horrible administration ruined my trip Past Review
By A student (History, Trinity University) - abroad from 08/03/2017 to 12/15/2017 with
IES Abroad: Rome - History & Classics
I gained more confidence in traveling and dealing with difficult situations, but I would have gained that with any program. Because of the horrible program, I also gained a lot of bitterness on top of the confidence.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Overall, the classes were easy in comparison to my home school. However, I met people in the program who thought the opposite. In general, the classes were very interactive and the professors were good, but I would not call this intensive. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration of this program is awful. I was harassed for things like not cleaning my room or getting along with my roommates. If you ask the administration for help they will either completely overreact or simply not help. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My housing form was completely ignored, as were my roommates'. I got literally nothing I asked for and was placed with roommates who were completely different from me, which obviously caused issues. The administration just made things worse when trying to alleviate situations. I was placed with an ISC (Italian Student Companion) that I had not asked for, and acted like an RA or authority figure. When I had issues with the ISC, the administration took her side to the extent that they tried to pressure me to move out and frequently asked my roommates if I was breaking rules to try to see if they could pull strings to kick me out of the apartment that I paid for. Of course, I was not breaking any rules and they could do nothing, but I ended up with roommates that hated me and bullied me. |
| * Food: |
The program only provides food on school trips. They were usually three-course meals and were pretty good. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I integrated with local culture because I went out and met locals on my own. The program did nothing to support this. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Health care was easily accessible, but mental healthcare in Italy is very stigmatized. I was prescribed very strong medications for minor issues and even after I insisted I did not want them. The health coordinator of the program frequently asked me if I was taking medication, the whole situation was very inappropriate and would have been unacceptable in the US. |
| * Safety: |
Rome is fairly safe, but it is a big city so obviously bad things can happen. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
While I loved a couple of the classes, I know that many programs in Rome offer very similar ones. The administration and the way things were handled while I was over here was awful and made me miserable half of the time. |
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) |
Food is relatively cheap here if you cook for yourself. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $75 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Be aware that something is going to break while you're abroad; your phone, your laptop, clothes, etc. Everyone in the program had some sort of unexpected expense from something breaking or getting stolen. Also, if your laptop breaks, the campus is not open as long as you would need it to be and the internet for some reason hardly ever works there. |
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 |
There was encouragement to use the language but it certainly is not necessary in Rome. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | None |
| 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? | The only way to practice it enough to really understand and be understood is by living with a host family, preferably one that speaks both English and Italian, but I don't believe you have any choice in the matter. |
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? | I wish I had chosen a different program, plain and simple. |
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! |
