The Best Summer I Could've Imagined Past Review
By Emma K (West Chester University of Pennsylvania) - abroad from 05/26/2014 to 05/27/2014 with
CISabroad (Center for International Studies): Summer in Rome
It was incredibly worthwhile. I was a very big homebody beforehand and I have never been away from home for 5 whole weeks let alone in a foreign country. I was really nervous and I genuinely didn't find my self home-sick once. I was too busy living the dream. Studying abroad taught me how to live in the moment and not waste a second.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The classes were fine, one of my classes was more intense than the other with respect to work outside of the classroom, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
AMAZING, as good as you might think Italian pasta would be! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Had no experience and no issues with my health is as good an experience as any. |
| * Safety: |
I felt safe while in Rome. The best advice I can give is always travel with at least one other person. You're bound to get lost at one time or another in such a large city, maneuvering through a foreign city is much easier and much less stressful when you are not by yourself. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | With a high exchange rate it seemed like a lot. I would say about 100 euros a week with all the meals we ate out for. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Do grocery shop and cook atleast one of your meals a day! Dinners can be pricey and food at the grocery store is much cheaper so it is a good idea to maybe have breakfast or lunch at your apartment throughout the week. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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? | 0 |
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? | It flies by so have a lot of things in your mind that you want to do so you don't come home and realize you missed out on some really great opportunities. |
