Humbling Past Review
By A student (Comparative Literature, Wellesley College) - abroad from 09/02/2015 to 12/18/2015 with
Eastern College Consortium (ECCO): Bologna - Università di Bologna Study Abroad Program
I am not as worldly as I thought, people under stress become allies. Yes I think I was worthwhile, but better for me in the longterm than right now
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. |
Not too rigorous, but very engaging and sufficiently challenging |
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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: |
Cook for yourself/eat out. I liked having control over what I was eating instead of being on a meal plan |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I preferred being with expats |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I didn't have problems with my health abroad but the system in place seemed fine. |
| * Safety: |
Bologna can be a loud city, but I never felt all that unsafe. |
| 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? | Between 60-80 euro on average |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Cook at home, buy produce |
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 |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| 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? | ITAS 203 |
| How many hours per day did you use 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?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | Communication with the people you live with is very important but very difficult with a language/culture barrier |
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! |
