Rome is more full of good, beautiful, and holy things than any other city Past Review
By Joe Slama (Truman State University) - abroad from 01/26/2017 to 05/17/2017 with
The American University of Rome: Rome - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
This is impossible to sum up entirely, but some bullet points will paint a sufficient picture: - Language proficiency gained largely from interacting with native speakers - Volunteer experience abroad - An incredible immersion in the ancient civilization I've studied for years - Wonderful opportunities to grow in my faith, even more bountiful than the number of churches in the city
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 |
The administration, professors, and student life felt disorganized. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Cleaning was provided, which was very nice, and a student showed us how appliances in the apartment worked. The university left a handy maintenance request form on the apartment computer and provided a nice booklet detailing Italian living, local services, and emergency numbers. |
| * Food: |
The fact that they had us buy our own food was a great opportunity for cultural immersion. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Providing apartment housing in the city itself as opposed to dorms was a great way to do this. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Rome felt very safe. Just don't talk to strangers, kids, especially if they look like they want to sell you something. |
| 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? | €50 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Get to the grocery store ASAP rather than eating out. If you've not had to cook on your own before: learn to look at expiration dates before buying! |
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? | Beginner |
| 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? | None |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Learning the language while there (although I had begun on Duolingo but only a couple weeks prior) was a fantastic way to learn. I expected it to be intimidating, but instead it was exciting and surprisingly efficient. Make sure to engage natives in conversation. Additionally, just reading signs while out and about is a great way to pick up useful words and phrases. |
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? | Apply early for your visa Know which museums and sites need advance reservation Don't book trips with student travel agencies |
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! |
