ICCS Rome: Challenging Yet Rewarding Past Review
By Carolyn T (Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics., Wellesley College) for
ICCS / Centro: Rome - The Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome
Definitely! I learned a ton, and fell in love with Italy.
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 workload was very intense, but everything we learned was important and well-taught in the American style. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
A support service was always accessible, they were definitely very familiar with both Italian and American bureaucratic procedures. The program size was perfect, small but not stifling. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
The food was incredible, and they were very understanding about dietary restrictions. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We saw incredible attractions and went on field trips, but they were all academic. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
We didn't have any health issues, other than an outbreak of lice that was treated calmly. |
| 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? | I probably spent around 10-20 Euro each weekend on food. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I don't think I had any unanticipated expenses--I tried to only pay for essentials. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | None for Italian; 300 for Latin; 200 for Greek |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
To improve language skills, the best thing to do was interact more with locals at stores, restaurants, etc. While you could get by on some things with basic English, a little Italian was very helpful. |
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 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? | If you want to have fun and relax in Italy, do not do this program--only do it if you want a rigorous Classical experience. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Advanced Latin |
| Course Department: | LATIN 102A |
| Instructor: | Gregory Bucher |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The course was definitely challenging, and made good use of the location by having us translate inscriptions in the city of Rome itself. The teacher was always knowledgeable and well-prepared, and I participated a little less than I do at Wellesley because the class was larger. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. |
