roma: that's amore! Past Review
By Caroline E (Architecture., Barnard College) for
IES Abroad: Study Rome - Language & Area Studies
of course-- it was the most incredible time of my life!!!
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 workload was less than i was used to grading was fairly harsh for papers, which i was surprised by, but probably equal to barnard/columbia |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
i got there a day early by accident because i misread the welcome packet they sent us (and only realized this when i arrived in rome...), and the head of the program was extremely helpful in directing me to a clean, safe, decently-priced hostel where i could stay the night. nevertheless, it was pretty irritating that they would'nt let me move into my apartment a day early... |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
living with 3 americans and an italian student was the best of both worlds! i didn't risk the isolation felt by many of my friends who did a homestay, but i also got the cultural exposure from the italian student i lived with (and looooved!!!!) |
| * Food: |
they are fairly accommodating for dietary restrictions, especially considering we were in italy and most of the time stuff like that is just brushed off and seen as whining. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
the required field trips were AWESOME - i chose the weekend in venice in april, and i got to see so much more of the city than i would have had i just gone on my own |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
i think it's a good policy overall to ban overnight guests in the ies abroad housing |
| 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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | i'm not sure how much i spent, but prices in supermarkets were similar to at home. prices in touristy areas were very high and the food is TERRIBLE. prices in less touristy restaurants were comparable to at home and the food is incredible! we found a favorite restaurant and went back over ten times throughout the semester!! |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | same rules apply in rome as at home: if you want to save money, you need to avoid eating out. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | advanced italian conversation I |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
people on the street, the italian student that i lived with i needed to use italian to get around rome, unless i wanted to look like a ditzy american study abroad student |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | ies abroad is for students who are looking for more of an overall experience away from home that isn't only centered around cultural immersion but also around meeting new american students from all over and gaining new experience. it also offers a nice change of pace from the more challenging pace of american universities. |
