Bologna is the bomb.com Past Review
By A student (Italian Studies, Wellesley College) - abroad from 01/09/2017 to 05/19/2017 with
Eastern College Consortium (ECCO): Bologna - Università di Bologna Study Abroad Program
I learned that my Italian is actually pretty good! And that I can make friends in other languages. It was definitely worthwhile, and I wish I had gone for a full year.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
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 ECCo staff is absolutely wonderful!!! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The student apartments were simple, but they were fine for living in for a few months. |
| * Food: |
Italian food is delicious, but you are responsible for feeding yourself. There is not really a dining hall. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I lived with 11 other Unibo students, and, although they were not all Italian, they helped me so much with learning the language and explaining cultural things that I did not understand. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
You need to be aware of your surroundings, but I also never felt uncomfortable walking around by myself late at night or when I was alone during the day. Women need to be particularly aware, though, because Italian men feel it's ok to catcall and occasionally grab women on the street. Nothing too serious, but it is something to be aware of. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
The staff was so wonderful and supportive!! I also loved the classes offered through the program, and Bologna is the perfect place to experience/learn about Italian culture. |
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) |
Finding cheap food and grocery shopping were no issue. The staff at ECCo were also very helpful when it came to financial issues (at one point I needed to go to the doctor's and was not sure I would have enough money, so they gave me an advance on my stipend for the following month so I could cover everything). If you plan on traveling at all, the prices for train tickets add up very quickly. The office does reimburse you up to 100 euros each month for cultural excursions (such as going to museums), but not for travel costs. You can get reimbursed up to 100 euros for travel costs one time. I wish that there was some sort of travel allowance for traveling around Italy because traveling around the country is so vital to getting a fulfilling experience of your time abroad. Even just 50 euros a month would have helped a lot. Other than that, Bologna is very affordable. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | About 70 euros. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Try to spend as little as possible towards the beginning of the program. That way you'll have extra money if something comes up. It's very easy to find live affordably, but try not to eat out too much. |
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 |
Every class is taught only in Italian, and you are required to take at least one course at Unibo that is also taught in Italian. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Italian 202 |
| 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? | Just talk to your roommates as much as possible! They want to help you learn the language. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | I wish that I knew that I was going to be on my own as much as I was, and how expensive train travel was. |
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! |
