There's no place like ROME! Past Review
By Haley R (Marketing and Supply Chain Management, University of Maryland - College Park) - abroad from 01/24/2013 to 05/16/2013 with
The American University of Rome: Rome - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
YES! Studying abroad helped me become more independent and accepting of other cultures; more about the abroad experience than the classes themselves
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. |
Challenging courses yet friendly teachers and small class sizes |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Helpful office staff with answers to any question/problem |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Big apartment in central location yet no dishwasher, occasional internet problems; locked gate and doorman made apartment very safe; apartment was about 30 mins from school by bus |
| * Food: |
Delicious pizza and sandwich shops near AUR for lunch; no actual cafeteria at school only vending machines |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Most study abroad students were American yet many resident students at AUR from other cultures |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
N/A did not need healthcare while on program yet AUR had a doctor onsite if necessary |
| * Safety: |
Pickpocketing is very common; be careful! |
| 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) |
Be prepared to spend money abroad! The euro is worth less than a dollar and eating out/traveling/shopping abroad gets very expensive |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $300+ |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If you don't want to spend too much money, figure out in advance the places you most want to travel to and book early to save money on flights/hostels. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
Intro Italian class helped me learn some of the language but I was no where near fluent |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | N/A |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
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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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Enjoy every second because you will be home too soon!! |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
