Independent Past Review
By maryelisebiediger (Texas A&M University - College Station) - abroad from 05/28/2014 to 07/25/2014 with
IES Abroad: Rome - Summer Internship
I learned a lot about how to be independent and do things for myself.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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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? |
The apartments are relatively nice and in a great location. However, I think it would have been much nicer if all of the students were housed in the same building. It made it difficult to meet people other than my roommates since I wasn't really taking any classes and rarely saw any of the other students. |
| * Food: |
The food in Italy is incredible. The program did not provide any food for the students, so I made frequent trips to the grocery store and ate at restaurants. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I felt very integrated with the culture. I left the US not knowing any Italian at all, and now I would say that I can understand a good deal of Italian because I spent so much time hearing the language and practicing with the locals. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I got tonsillitis halfway through the program, and they set up a doctor's appointment for me and went through a lot of trouble to make sure that I was feeling better. |
| * Safety: |
Rome is a big city. I was pick pocketed once on the subway, but caught the guy and was able to get my wallet back. As long as you are careful and aware, Rome is not the most unsafe city in the world. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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? | about $150 |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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? |
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? | IES does not organize as many events for everybody in the program as I thought they were going to. Therefore, it was hard to make friends with people other than my roommates, but it was okay! |
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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Internship Seminar |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Silvia Zanazzi |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
