Beauty in Rome and now in my Life Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

incredibly easy workload, but super fun because everything you learn you get to apply to the real world at major attractions such as the Colosseum and the Pantheon. Lectures are only twice a week, and the rest is either free time or on-site exposure which is amazing!! A UCSD professor came with us, and it was a pretty small group so we were quite close with him and there was obviously no language barrier since he was from the states too. It's basically an easy A for both courses you take, which is great because since its through a UC school, you get the letter grade along with the units.

On-site administration of your program

our professor was incredibly helpful and he had been to rome/italy a bunch of times so he was really knowledgeable about the city and what would be good to do there and throughout the rest of the country. he spoke fluent italian so no matter where we were, we could always get around. we didn't have to do much with the school other than go there for class, so the host institution didn't pertain to us too much, except that we received a student ID card which we needed in order to access school grounds for studying purposes. Program was only around 25 students and we all lived really close to each other so my expectations were definitely exceeded.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Trastevere is a very safe area. It was incredibly easy to get around, especially because the tram stopped almost literally right in front of our apartments and it went all the way down to the local bars and the Pantheon area. From there, it was really easy to walk almost anywhere in the city. School was also really easy to get to, although we did have to catch another bus in order to get there but the stop was really close and it only took a couple of minutes. All of the apartments were within a block or so of one another, so it was incredibly easy to socialize with the other students in our program. We didnt get to socialize too much with locals because we all lived with other students in the program, and there were other programs with students in our same complex so it seemed almost American-ized in our apartment buildings. There were really delicious cafes under our apartments though, and the grocery stores were really close. We had to buy toiletries and such, but the sheets and furniture was already there for us. I have a friend studying abroad in Rome right now and she lives just down the road from where our apartments were, so its obviously a popular area for students to live in, I would definitely recommend it.

WE GOT THE MOST AMAZING MEALS EVER INCLUDED IN OUR PROGRAM COST!!! there were at least 10 meals provided for the entire group, sometimes lunch and sometimes dinner. They were always HUGE and always AMAZING. I wouldn't have to eat for a day afterwards probably!! It was a little more difficult to find good authentic places like that on our own, but our professor gave us some good advice on restaurants. Loveeeeeed the food!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Our program had a planned field trip to Florence, Pisa and Vinci, which were both beautiful!! We spent a week there and loved every second. We got to go to the Academia museum, see the statue of David, climb to the top of the Duomo and the tower of Pisa. It was a once in a lifetime experience. We also had weekends off, so every weekend we travelled somewhere different. Some of the places we went were Milan, Venice, Paris, Cinque Terre, Pompeii, Sorrento, and Capri. Capri was definitely my favorite because of how beautiful and different it was. Most amazing travelling experience ever.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I got sick in the first week, and my mom thought I had meningitis so she wanted me to go to the hospital. My professor was absolutely amazing!! He and our host picked me up at nearly 2am and took me to the ER and we stayed there til about 5am while I was being pumped with all sorts of IVs and drugs. They were there with me the whole time, and I couldn't thank them enough. It didn't cost me a dime, other than the antibiotics and prescriptions I needed to pick up afterward, so I don't know if healthcare there is free or if the program/my professor paid, but either way it was a blessing. No healthcare issues in Italy and overall the city is pretty safe, just have to watch out for pickpockets.

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

Select all that apply

• Apartment

Select all that apply

• Americans

• Everything

• not going to the replica museum