The American University of Rome: A Semester I Hoped Never to End Past Review
By Damian F (Political Science, SUNY - College at Plattsburgh) for
SUNY Broome: Rome - Study Abroad at American University of Rome
Five star rating simply because the experience made me a happier person and I believe the same applies to all of my American friends I have encountered at the AUR.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The system and methodology of lectures is as any American university. Grading is the same as well the workload. The classes are very small which gives everyone an opportunity to interact with the professor and other students very often. I took five classes and my biggest class was 15 people. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
There is not much to say. The school's staff was always helpful and I had not had a problem with anything. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I arranged my own housing since I had friends living in Rome, however, I have seen numerous apartments arranged for study abroad students from the school. The apartments as well as the school are located in one of Rome’s most beautiful and convenient areas. It took everyone 10 to 15 minutes to get to school by bus. The area was one of my favorite because several European and other American universities were located nearby which made the neighborhood’s cafes and bars full of young students from all around the world. |
| * Food: |
It is Italy, therefore, one of the best culinary experiences ever. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Rome is a great city full of great people. AUR is a small university and since the classes are small one makes friends instantly. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Rome is a large city and is as safe as any other large western-European or American city. I never had a problem with anything. |
| 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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I cannot provide much information in regards to the Italian courses. I did not take any since I was already fluent in Italian but from what I have heard from my friends, the teachers were good. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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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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Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Recent Political Theory |
| Course Department: | POL302 |
| Instructor: | Bjorn Thomassen |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | One of the best teachers I ever had. He is very smart, helpful and knows practically everything in the fields of sociology, anthropology and political science. The instructor has a very good approach towards his students and everyone in the class found his lectures fascinating. Any course with this professor will make your stay at AUR a pleasant academic experience. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
