Art with Temple in Rome Past Review
By Elizabeth A (Visual Arts, Fordham University) for
Temple University International Programs: Rome - Temple University in Rome
Definitely. I am so incredibly happy that I had this opportunity. I met so many great people and went to so many amazing places, I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything. I definitely am more willing to try new things and I am even more curious about different cultures than I was before going abroad. My future plans definitely include going abroad again and maybe living or working somewhere in Europe in the future.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I was at an American program in Rome, so there weren't too many difference between the US and Rome, except the program was much smaller than Fordham obviously. This was actually really great because the general atmosphere of the classes was much more intimate and hands on. We also got to take a lot of field trips to different sites in Rome with various classes. My biggest class was 15 students and the rest of my classes all had under 10 students. One of my classes also went on a three day trip to Milan which was absolutely amazing. There was definitely a greater sense of solidarity amongst the students and teachers because of how small the program was (173 students). |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I thought the Administration did a really good job of making sure students felt comfortable in Italy and they definitely helped us adjust to the culture differences. We have several orientation programs and discussions about Italian lifestyle and culture. Also, staff was always available to help if we had any problems or questions about anything. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Monica was an amazing host mother. She was extremely friendly and kind, and she is an amazing cook. Her neighborhood was very, I never felt unsafe even at night. It was a very residential area so I had to travel a little to go out at night, but it wasn't too bad. |
| * Food: |
I am a vegetarian and I never found it difficult to eat out or find food suitable for me. My homestay mother never ate red meat at all and she was extremely accommodating to my preferences. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Our first weekend in Italy, our program set-up a trip to Todi (a Medieval mountain town). We had a traditional Italian wedding feast. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I found Rome to be like living in any other city; you have to be aware of your surroundings and be smart. It was probably more important in Rome though to be very alert because of the language barrier. I never felt "threatened" in anyway while in Rome, maybe uncomfortable in certain situations at night. And non-Italian women really have to be careful when going out, because there are a lot of Italian men that prey on foreigners/Americans specifically. |
| 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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Try to budget your money and don't go crazy with traveling when you first arrive in Europe. I chose to spend my money on travel more than on buying souvenirs for myself. You should go with an amount of money you are willing to spend and decide what is most important to you to be doing while abroad and budget for that. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I took four semesters of Italian at Fordham. My last course at Fordham was exit-level italian. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I was in a home stay in Rome so I lived with an Italian woman and one other student in the program. We mostly spoke Italian at dinner in the home stay. Although my program was in English, I took one advanced level Italian course that met twice a week. We spoke no English in that class. I basically used Italian everyday during the program. A lot of people spoke a little bit of English, especially younger people and those who worked in very tourist-y areas. The majority of students in my program came to Rome speaking no Italian, but they were all able to get by without much difficulty, although those students had Italian classes four days a week. Everyone ended up learning at least some Italian. I didn't find it too difficult to get around everyday with the basic italian that I know. |
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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