Best Experience of My Life Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

As a Senior, the courses at AUR were most certainly challenging, especially Global Marketing and Advertising Strategy. However, although they were challenging, the professors were phenomenal and made every class interesting. AUR does give you a heavy workload, so you do have to balance school into your experience abroad.

On-site administration of your program

Administration was very helpful and always had a smile on. However, as with much of Italy, sometimes the efficiency wasn't the best. However they did an excellent job with everything.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Housing was a bit of a nuisance at times. Our washing machine did not work well, to the point where I did almost all my laundry by hand in the bathtub. The Wi-fi was THE WORST part though, to the point where myself and many of my roommates would have to hardwire into the router just to get a decent connection. Wi-fi couldn't extend more than about 20 feet from the router. We had many issues with it.

Italy is Italy. The food is always phenomenal, however after a while sometimes pasta & pizza can get a little boring. But there's always something new to try in Rome.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I didn't speak Italian very well so the communication was a bit tough. But after a few months, you really feel like you are a part of the culture and you adopt the Italian lifestyle. Many local Italians were very friendly, however some were very rude (as it is with any city in any nation).

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Only issues we had was mosquito bites and trying to find the right remedy to get rid of the itchiness. Eventually going to the Farmacia was a smart idea cause they had some decent cream.

In terms of traffic, WATCH OUT. Italian drivers are insane and will try and run you over! Aside from that, I never really felt threatened or afraid when walking in Rome, even in the middle of the night. It's a very safe city, but you HAVE to watch your belongings. There are pickpockets everywhere; one of my roommates had his phone stolen from his shirt pocket! Definitely be extremely careful with wallets and bags.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Was not too bad. Because Italian culture is different, you're expected to go to the grocery store several times a week. If you know how to shop right, then food costs should be too bad. Biggest expenses obviously is traveling outside of the country. I spent over $1200 alone over the 10 day Fall Break in London, Paris, and Barcelona.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

I wasn't great at speaking Italian, but I knew enough to get by somewhat comfortably.

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• Apartment

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• Americans

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students
• Other

• Being in Rome, the center of history
• Millions of things to do in just ONE city
• The ability to travel to other areas in Italy and Europe

• Wi-Fi of apartments needs signifcant improvement
• Computer Lab was a pain, only open 3PM-8PM on Weekends
• Some utilities in the apartments, such as washing machines and stove

The Avid Adventurer