Not what I expected. Past Review

By Student . (Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics., Davidson College) - abroad from 09/06/2013 to 12/20/2013 with

Trinity College Rome Campus: - Study Abroad in Italy

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I learned some Italian, made a couple of friends, and got to experience life in another country among some of the most beautiful monuments in the world. However, the classes I took and the people I was surrounded with were less than ideal.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	The courses at TC/RC are nowhere near the rigor of classes at my home institution. Sure, I had a fairly heavy workload during midterms and finals, but the absolute WORST of Trinity's offerings were roughly equivalent to a normal week at my college.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	Administrators at TC/RC are decently helpful when you seek them out, but they rarely ever reach out to students in any way.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	I lived in the convent, and while it was nice to have my own room and bathroom, the bed was extremely uncomfortable and the room was stuffy at all times (this was much worse in the beginning of the program, when it was hot all the time). I'm glad to have lived in a single room, even though I'm not usually the type of person to make such arrangements, because people on this program (at least my term) were really ignorant of communal living etiquette. People SLAMMED their doors at all hours of the day and night and there was regularly yelling as late as 3-4am, despite the fact that the nuns who house, feed, and clean up after us go to bed at 10pm. Very inconsiderate, and I was embarrassed on behalf of other students on the program.
* Food:	Lunch is good enough to earn TC/RC a 4-star rating from me despite the fact that breakfast and dinner are lacking. First of all, we were not informed until we arrived that we would never get dinner through the program. Maybe Trinity students got more details, but I did not know about the system until I was already on campus. Basically, TC/RC gives students roughly 3 "meal coupons" a week, which are good at 3 local restaurants. The only one of these that is really great is Volpetti. The other two are perfectly decent, and good for when you're trying to save money. Other than that, you're on your own for dinner. I spent between 10-15 euros on dinner when I wasn't using a meal coupon, an expense I wasn't made aware of beforehand at all.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	You can go to TC/RC and never speak Italian outside of Italian class. Many do.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?	I had a cold for a little while, but I took my own medicine with me and didn't need to deal with the program. Friends of mine were sent to the pharmacy with a note in Italian from the program, and they said it worked perfectly well. I'd definitely recommend bringing Advil, NyQuil, allergy medicine, etc. with you from home.
* Safety:	Rome is perfectly safe if you keep your wits about you. Cat-calling is extremely annoying, but you get used to it.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	No

Finances

* 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)	Meals and going out are the main expenses.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language? 0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language	Most people in the central areas of Rome speak English, so you can get by without really learning any Italian. Some people really tried to incorporate what they were learning in class, but many did not.
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?	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?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Dorm
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Americans
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Americans
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?	0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?	Location Lunch Weekend trip to Capri
* What could be improved?	STUDENTS The classes are mostly a joke
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	I wish I had known that I would have to deal with so many privileged, disrespectful students. From day one, the students from Trinity had no interest in reaching out to people from other schools. The program orientation also didn't do anything to introduce us to each other, so the 50% of us who came into this not knowing anyone stayed that way for a couple of weeks. It was all very high school. Not all Trinity students were rude, just like not all non-Trinity students were friendly, but for the most part, there was a very "us and them" mentality in the social makeup of the program. There were a lot of students who were clearly only there to drink and have an abroad experience without any responsibilities. I can definitely relate to that, and I was looking for a less rigorous semester than I get at my home institution, but these kids took it to extremes. They were blatantly disrespectful of the rules and of other people, so that really soured my experience.

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 Linguist You 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!

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Reading Ancient Rome
Course Department:
Instructor:	Inge Weustink
Instruction Language:
Comments:	DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS. It is deadly boring and useless. Professor Weustink is the worst teacher I have ever had in any subject. She never has a lesson plan, so class is consistently awkward and silent while she searches through the reading for the next thing to summarize. Also, despite this being a literature course, we never once wrote a paper or had any form of assessment other than the midterm and the final. I cannot stress enough how terrible this class was.
Credit Transfer Issues: