Italy: Wine, Dine, and have a great Time Past Review

By (Business Administration, Trinity University) for

IES Abroad: Rome Summer - Language & Culture

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I have always wanted to live abroad and this has made my goal even more achievable in hopes to one day live abroad.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Not much different. You still have to go to class and do the work just like at home.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Everyone was knowledgeable and eager to help me with any questions or concerns I had. They went out of their way to say hi to you and chat with me on a daily basis.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

Food was Amazing!

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Taking a spur of the moment trip with my two best guy friends was the highlight of the trip

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

The city was very safe and I never had any health issues but I'm sure it's quite good over there.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* 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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? I spent a ton! I spend nearly $1500 on food and personal expenses.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? You're going to spend twice as much as you expect. So plan to double whatever you plan on bringing.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? None
Language acquisition improvement?

I used Italian on a daily basis from communicating with taxi drivers to store clerks. A lot of people did speak English so it really forced you to speak Italian in order for you to learn it.

If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • Local Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Everything!
* What could be improved?
  • Nothing