Bologna: THE BEST SEMESTER EVER! Past Review
By Elise D (Biology (in process of changing to Italian studies), Wellesley College) for
Eastern College Consortium (ECCO): Bologna - Università di Bologna Study Abroad Program
My Italian language skills have improved so much. Additionally I learned a lot about Italian culture that I didn't know before - especially from Italian friends. In the future I hope to return to Italy and perhaps work there for a couple of years.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
As mentioned before, the teaching style is different. There is less stress during the semester because you do not have to complete assignments. Finals time - as long as you study up to 2 weeks before - is overall not stressful either. You basically teach yourself by reading the material. In comparison Universita' di Bologna was not very much like a liberal arts school (that was where the program courses that are smaller are most similar) but rather like a larger university - speaking with the professors one-on-one is harder to do but still possible. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Everything was great. The only issue I encountered was not having the director around a lot. It would have been nice to see her with us more. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I was in a dorm a bit far from the center of Bologna and the university but I was with students who weren't from Bologna (they came from southern Italy). They were the best roommates - and continually aided me with my language skills. I was also able to make friends with people within the dorm (which is most likely a lot easier because I was in a dorm rather than in an apartment). My roommates allowed me to borrow a lot of their pots and pans so I wouldn't have to buy any. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We went to Rome for a trip which was amazing - everyone in the program included. We saw the Sistine Chapel which was the most memorable for me. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I felt safe in Bologna - I could walk home alone at night. As for health, there is an american doctor who will make house visits if needed - it costs $20 on the spot. |
| 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? | We were given around 400 euros a month. I could spend 20-30 euro on food a week. Going out to eat a week was usually anywhere from 20-25 euros. Most expenses came from traveling - we usually would at least try to do a day trip every other weekend. Depending on the train a roundtrip can cost anywhere from 7 to 25 euros. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | phones! the easiest is to buy a phone there - i had a blackberry with a sim card in it but it ended up costing me more than if I had just bought a phone there. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | second-level Italian (previously I had taken 2 intensive italian classes) |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
The program was intensive - we spoke Italian in program classes, at the universita' di bologna, with our Italian roommates, etc. The only English used was amongst the Americans in the program - besides that Italian was our main language for the six months. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Someone who is willing to actually have an Italian experience rather than just party with Americans in Italy. |
