"Feeling Home in Rome: Your Review On How to Have A Great Time in Italia!" Past Review
By Brendan C (Childhood Ed/SPED, SUNY - College at Geneseo) for
SUNY Geneseo: Rome - Humanities Course
I really had a great time overall in Italy. I saw some things that i may never see again, and went places that i never thought i'd go. I made some great friends from the trip, but better yet... I now have a mind full of memories that i will be able to carry with me for life. I don't know if the trip necessarily changed my future goals or plans, although i am planning on doing HUMN II abroad also, but i did definitely get to see first-hand how other people life outside of this blessed country we live in.
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. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
The pizza in Italy is quite different from that of American pizza, and was generally disliked overall by the students in our group. More expensive cuisine restaurants had phenominal quality of food, but were also rather pricy in general. I would suggest buying groceries from the start, and having several different items on hand to make food with. Also, when making pasta... do not leave a half-plate of pasta in the sink for over a week! It will mold over and become disgusting! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Everything that we did outside of class was an absolute blast. A lot of these experiences seemed to become more meaningful afterward, and upon reflection, as you have then forgotten some of the negative aspects that went along with them (travel woes, fatigue, down time).. and then you can focus on the awesome aspects of what you've just gone through and experienced. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| 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? | Going into this trip, my family and I were fairly unsure of how much money i would need to be able to eat, travel, and use for personal expenses. I believe that my overall costs came out to somewhere near a thousand dollars, which was in addition to the 5 grand i had already spent to go on the trip. So, if you are going to plan on coming on the trip and living comfortably without having to miss out on anything, plan to spend more money than you may think. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | As i mentioned above, it is expensive to live comfortably in Italy for a month, and go on the various weekend trips that arise from being abroad. The bus pass was something i felt should have been accomodated for, and some type of group food expense may have been nice too, so that we weren't always on our own scavenging for food. That being said, our professors did treat us to a couple nice cooked meals, and were gracious in covering bills if they went out to dinner with us. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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 do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Be open-minded and willing to cope with whatever comes your way. If you do not know anyone in your group prior to the trip, remember that you may not get along with everyone, but you will share experiences with them that no one else can relate to, so try an be friends! My particular roomate was not someone i would ever hang out with in my daily life, but we had a great time together in Italy because we were able to be cordial and mature and realize that it was all about the experience we were encountering. |
