la bella vita bolognese Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I enjoyed all of the internal courses that I took at ECCo. The professors teach at a good pace and are easy to understand. The academic rigor and intensity is definitely not as high as that of Wellesley, so it was a relaxing experience to be able to learn without feeling stressed. I would definitely recommend taking a course at Unibo for the experience, although the Computer Science department has a slightly different timeline (courses start at the end of February) and doesn't coincide well with the timeline of the ECCo program.

On-site administration of your program

The administration was absolutely helpful and did an amazing job of supporting the students at ECCo. I never had any administrative problems at all because ECCo takes care of its students so well, from housing to registering for courses. I always felt very welcome at ECCo and found the staff to be very accessible.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I was very satisfied with my living arrangements. I lived in a co-ed apartment with 11 other students (6 doubles) and co-existed with them well. My room was large, and the kitchen (also large) had two industrial refrigerators, one freezer, and 8 burners (2 stove tops). The studentato supposedly doesn't allow guests after a certain time and there's a very strict process for allowing guests to sleepover that has to be done well in advance, but I never needed to deal with either of those cases.

The food is amazing and very affordable in Bologna e.g. I could get a plate of tagliatelle for 6.50 euros. There are weekly markets that sell groceries, there were three grocery stores/super markets within a 5 minute walking distance from my studentato. Food is not a problem in Bologna, and the daily stipend of 13 euros could easily cover my typical day of eating out for lunch and cooking dinner for myself. There are also a lot of bars all around centro with drinks that are much cheaper than in other cities.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I think I did the best job I could integrating socially and culturally despite only being there for 5 months. I joined a Bolognese frisbee team (best decision I made, I learned so much Italian from them), did a conversation exchange program with an Italian through the Cassero LGBTQ center, and went out with Italians. If I had more time I would have loved to have furthered my relationships with the Italians I met, but given that I was only there for a semester, I did spend a lot of time with other students in the program. Social integration is hard, but it really just takes going outside of what's comfortable to form friendships with people who aren't like you.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

This wasn't really applicable to me because I never had any health issues, but the pharmacies were very accessible for purchasing contact solution, sunscreen, etc. Bologna is a clean place.

I thought Bologna was extremely safe for a city. As long as you're attentive, there are very few things that could happen to you. The most frequent crime there is bike theft. If you don't walk through Parco della Montagnola at night (which is easily avoidable, you'd have to purposefully want to walk through there to be there), you'll be fine. The city is full of university students, and people are always out at night. I've walked home between 2-4am alone and have been fine, although walking with someone else is always preferable.

This was by far the best study abroad program that I could have chosen for myself. I had two objectives coming into the program, which were to improve my Italian and to travel a lot. I was able to do both without feeling like something was missing from my experience.

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

This is perhaps the most affordable program that Wellesley offers to its students. As I said previously, the stipend of 13 euros a day can easily cover a day of eating out for lunch and cooking at home for dinner. As a result, eating out on the weekends and spending on drinks wasn't that much of a financial hardship for me. The most money I spent on was traveling outside of Italy.

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

The program encourages as much immersion as possible. The staff speaks to students in Italian, and they create a very encouraging environment in which everyone can improve.

Select all that apply

• Apartment

Select all that apply

• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

Select all that apply

• Local Students

• Bologna
• The Italians
• The people in my program

• I would have loved the option to take more than one course at Unibo

The Outright Urbanite