Amazing semester in Bologna with Ecco Bologna! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The academic rigor and intensity felt appropriately challenging (of course it's not the same intensity as a semester at Wellesley). Taking one University course, two Ecco internal courses, and one grammar course (Ivan is an amazing professor) was challenging enough. The administration was also AMAZING in providing academic advising and guidance--anytime anyone had an issue, they were ready and more than willing to settle it.

On-site administration of your program

The administration was AMAZING! I have been abroad through two other programs (AFS in Tokyo, Japan and CIEE in Havana, Cuba) and this administration is hands down the most attentive, nice, and helpful! They made adjusting to life in Bologna so much easier and stress-free.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

We were housed in one of University of Bologna's dorms and this review has nothing to do with the program's administration but more with the University's administration. It was the best possible housing option--meaning it was the housing option where you got to be the most immersed with other Italian students. I lived in a suite with a roommate and two other suite mates who were all Italian. I was also lucky to live with extremely clean people who weren't afraid of calling maintenance to fix issues in the suite. The suite wasn't cluttered, there were no bugs, the living spaces were spacious. The quality of the suite really depends on who you wind up living with. There was also a study room. I was unsatisfied with the living situation somewhat in that there were no general common spaces where you could invite people from other suites over (unless your suite mates were okay with using your own living room/kitchen). Wi-Fi was also pretty good.

On this program you are not on a meal plan but you get a GENEROUS stipend each month to spend on going out to eat, having drinks, and buying groceries. I never ran out of money each month, but that again depends from person to person (how much you spend going out vs buying groceries and cooking from home). I personally went out A LOT and never ran out of money.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Living with Italian students and taking classes all in Italian taught by Italian professors made me feel extremely integrated into the local culture. I was also lucky to have a really sweet suite mate who would invite me out to hang out with her friends. Ecco also provided plenty of other opportunities to become immersed in the culture involving an Italian-English language exchange buddy, and helping students find internships in the city.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

During orientation the program's doctor stopped by to give us a presentation about health and safety in Bologna, also all of his contact info. I wound up having to visit him twice. He's a really nice and funny doctor and was always readily available.

Bologna is like any other city--be aware of your surroundings, preferably don't walk home alone at 3AM, make sure you keep an eye on your valuables when walking around and anyone would be fine. I never faced any situation where I felt unsafe.

I believe Ecco Bologna is the most intensive/immersive language program offered in Italy--I committed to the program in order to improve my Italian, and I would up improving more than I expected.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

The stipend the program gave was extremely generous (hundreds of Euros). Groceries for me per week were a little less than 50 euros on a week I would cook a lot, and about 30 euros for groceries during a week I would go out a lot. Some supermarkets will be more expensive than others (just like in the US) so it's important to be aware of that! Since Bologna is not a "touristy" city, there was a great variety in restaurants. Some were expensive, some were medium, but everyone was able to find PLENTY inexpensive restaurants go to.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

Administration really wanted us to only speak Italian in the program's headquarters, but in the end it's really up to the students to gather the courage to constantly speak in Italian.

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• Keeping an eye out on Professors and organization of classes

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