Bologna, a city of amazing food and beautiful porticos Past Review
By Landes (Oklahoma State University - Stillwater) - abroad from 01/21/2019 to 06/06/2019 with
University of Bologna: Bologna - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
My experience abroad helped me realize that I am absolutely in the right field of studying art and art history. Being able to visit the art in its home countries and see the context in which it was originally produced helped me understand how important travel is for a learning art historian.
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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. |
Attendance is not required for the majority of classes on this campus, there is typically one oral exam or written paper at the end of the semester. However this by no means is a blow-off semester, it is in your best interest to attend classes as the papers and exams are held to quite a high standard. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The university can be rather unorganized, however, it is easy enough to manage, because they rarely have to be interacted with. It is especially nice when you make friends with other exchange students who are going through the same process as yourself. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Another student and I shared an apartment and rented through Airbnb for the semester and it was nice and easy. Our landlord was so sweet ad we were a quick 10-minute walk from campus. I would recommend any students to be wary of scams where people try to book your housing through facebook before your arrival. I would also recommend living inside of the city center as everything inside is fairly walkable. |
| * Food: |
Bologna is called the food capital of Italy for a reason!! The food is absolutely incredible! Plus, because the city has such a high student population, food is fairly affordable. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
This city of Bologna is young and lively! There is something going on every weekend in the city center, plus they close off the roads to cars on weekends and the streets fill with people. It can be challenging to get to know locals but easy to get involved in the town. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I found that because of the John Hopkins campus in Bologna there were several American doctors practicing in Bologna that my friends and I went to if needed. The local pharmacists are also extremely nice and knowledgeable. |
| * Safety: |
The city itself feels considerably safe because the area is less touristy there are fewer people out on the streets targeting non-Italians. I would recommend avoiding the university alone at night and to always travel in groups at night as well. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
In my opinion, Bologna is the perfect place to be to experience Italy. While the city is centrally located to other major cities in Italy, with Florence and Milan being just a short train ride away, it manages to be a large lively city without the insanity of tourist crowds. After traveling to Rome for a weekend it's nice to return to a calm and affordable city like Bologna. |
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) |
Bologna's populations feel very young and are largely students, so prices generally maintained a very affordable range. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $100-150 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Apperitivo is a fun affordable way to grab dinner, and it's always nice to cook with friends |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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? | Bring several extra copies of all your visa information because you will have to apply for a residency permit after arrival and it will require all of the same paperwork. Financial statements, passports, copies of everything, etc. |
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 Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
