Indiana BCSP Past Review
By Mary F (International Relations, Tulane University) for
Indiana University: Bologna Consortial Studies Program / BCSP
n/a
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The classes are all lecture and the exams are oral. It's very different from the American structure which at times makes it very difficult. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Could have been more helpful when there was a crisis but aboveall very helpful |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
n/a |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
My program has taken us to Tuscany, Verona, Urbino and Ravenna and they have all been great. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Bologna for the most part is very safe but a girl in my program was grabbed by her purse one night and got very scared. Our program director was very unhelpful and one of the coordinators insinuated that the incident may have been her fault. It was handled very poorly by my program. Because of Bologna's normal safety, they seemed to not believe her. Also, pickpocketing hasn't been terrible but has happened and I have been grabbed by gypsies in the middle of the day before. |
| 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? | When not traveling, I spend about 20 USD a week for groceries. If I go out to eat or go out at night, that number can easily double. My rent is 390 USD a month, and every couple of months I spend about 60 USD on bills. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Traveling always ends up being way more expensive than you plan. Just remember that even if certain things seem cheap, buying them even more than once can really add up. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Ital 325 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
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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 did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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