Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Rome was an experience I’ll neved forget! Past Review

By (University of Southern Indiana) - abroad from 05/23/2018 to 06/16/2018 with

CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Rome, Italy

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned that I need to trust my instincts more often and trust myself. It was worthwhile because I feel like I am a different person than I was before this experience. I have a new outlook on reality that I really needed.

Review Photos

CEA: Rome, Italy Photo CEA: Rome, Italy Photo CEA: Rome, Italy Photo

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? None

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

I would choose CEA again, but I would choose a different location. Italy was a dream come true, but Rome is a place that once you see it once, there really isn’t a need to see it again.

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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? €125-£150
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? The biggest expense I came across was because I was advised not to bring tennis shoes because Italians do not wear tennis shoes on a regular basis. Fitting in was a priority with advisement, however you are going to stick out no matter what you dress like. Wear shoes and clothes than are accustomed to you and your needs. Buying decent walking shoes in Rome was extremely expensive.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • International Students
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?
  • I liked that my program, specifically, the class I took, provided access to different parts of Rome that I would have had to figure out myself
* What could be improved?
  • I think the course description could be alters for a more descriptive summary. Regardless of the class you took in Rome, there was a lot of walking which I didn’t feel the description stated that. Also, it would be nice to know some types of excursions specific to the program. The ones on the website did not really help.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I knew what excursions we were going to go on such as Pompeii, Sorrento, and Capri. I would have utilized my time abroad better if I had known when and where we were going to be going. I would have went to Florence sooner so that I could have travelled more.

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 Nearly Native or Trail Blazer
Craving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.'