Summer 2026 Study Abroad in Rome! August 07, 2026
By amelia c (Brandeis University) - abroad from 05/20/2026 to 07/17/2026 with
IES Abroad: Rome - International Relations
I learned about differences in cultures all across Europe (due to traveling so much and my internship seminar) and what the work environment looks like in Rome.
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. |
My internship was extremely educational as well as interesting. My internship seminar and Italian seminar were informative, but the workload was also manageable. |
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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? |
I lived in Camplus San Pietro, which is a dormitory-style living. IES abroad students lived there as well as other Italian students going to university in Rome. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Pharmacies were extremely useful and helpful! The pharmacists are very helpful if you express any symptoms, they can help choosing medication. |
| * Safety: |
Rome is like any other big city, and there is a large homeless population. As a female, don't walk anywhere alone at night. But during the day, the city felt very safe! |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
IES and faculty did such an amazing job from the very start with organizing the internships (Thank you, Elena!!) and making sure students felt supported throughout the program. They valued feedback and our opinions on how to improve events and field studies, and continually kept us informed on what was going on in Rome (strikes, fun events, etc) as well as cultural difference and how to go about handling them. |
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) |
Many things in Rome were relatively cheaper than where I am from in the States, but depending on the different countries you travel to, it can differ. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | ~$40 on groceries every week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Figure out what you want to dedicate most of your money towards and budget in the other categories (traveling to different countries was important to me, so that is where most of my money was going). I allocated around $1,000 for every week I was abroad because of how much I was traveling to different countries every weekend. |
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? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 6 years of Spanish |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Listen to conversations around you and try to incorporate the language into your day-to-day life (order something at a coffee shop in the language). |
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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| 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? | Buy the flight insurance to get refunds on cancelled flights :( |
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 Avid AdventurerThe wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal. |
