A semester of fresh air, good company, great food & shopping, & incredible views Past Review
By toni.forte (University of Miami) - abroad from 08/26/2014 to 12/13/2015 with
The American University of Rome: Rome - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
The experience was definitely worthwhile. You learn a lot about yourself and you impress yourself at times with how mature you are while also having a few wow-no-clue-what-I'm-doing moments. It's entirely what you make of it.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I really enjoyed getting to experience classes in a small university. The professors I had were all extremely interesting and motivated me to work hard. |
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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: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I came with a pretty good knowledge of Italian but most of my friends only spoke English so even though I would always speak to people in Italian, I wouldn't say I was fully immersed since I was surrounded by many other Americans or English speakers. |
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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) |
It definitely depends where you want to eat and do things. If you are okay with cooking at home sometimes and carefully selecting appropriately priced restaurants, you can definitely have a great experience that is also low cost. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | In Italy, good food does not have to cost a lot. Look for restaurants with pasta dishes priced under 10 euro and listen for people speaking Italian who are probably locals. |
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 |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I had taken Italian through high school and got a 4 on my AP exam. |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
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? | If I could do it over I would probably pack a little differently but overall I think I was pretty well-prepared and enjoyed learning along the way. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
