Terrible program, but amazing travels Past Review
By A student (Cultural Studies, Providence College) - abroad from 08/28/2012 to 12/14/2012 with
IES Abroad: Study Rome - Language & Area Studies
I absolutely LOVED being abroad--meeting new people and seeing the sites of all the places I traveled to were the greatest experiences of my life! It's unfortunate I was stuck in a terrible program, but I did my own thing and had a blast exploring Europe!
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. |
3 of my 5 classes lacked scholarly material and did not cultivate interest or ideas one class promised 'field studies' and instead it was all classroom lectures where the 'professore' read from her notes, her nose glued to the desk one class did have field studies where we visited some historical sites throughout Rome |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
the only word for the administrators and staff of IES Rome is INCOMPETENT the nurse was rude and revealed confidential information to others overall, if you had an issue of any sort the staff was unhelpful |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
i stayed in an apartment with 2 ies students and one italian student companion (ISC) and she ended up being a thief and pathological liar who was finally kicked out near the end of the semester there were holes in the floor, exposed pipes, and countless technical issues that took weeks to be resolved when ies and the apartment contractors promise 3 days |
| * Food: |
italian food was great, not much variety though (same 10-15 items on all menus in Rome) IES never provided food, claimed they were actually in debt at the Chicago office so our farewell dinner had 'snacks' |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
when i took my own initiative to speak italian i had enjoyable experiences |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
my health care insurance provider while abroad covered my three doctor appointments, and the doctors were okay |
| * Safety: |
i always felt safe, with a group and even on my own like any city, don't wander on your own at night my iphone was pickpocketed on a public bus in Rome, i still don't know who or how it was stolen at it did really upset me |
| 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) |
i got by and spent way more than planned |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | maybe 100euro or so |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | keep track of it, set yourself limits while travelling |
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 |
the class i took was in italian |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| 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? | 102 |
| 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? | interact with locals! it's fun and you pick up the language faster |
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? | I wish I knew what the program staff was really like (unhelpful), and that the Italian classes are at night (which gives you no chance of making plans between morning/afternoon classes an Italian evening classes). |
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 Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
