Amazing City, Awful Program Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I had some of the worst professors of my life. Specifically that of my literature class. My italian professor, however, was fantastic.

On-site administration of your program

I, along with 11 others, was placed in a location 45 minutes from the IES Center. 45 minute just to walk. The rest of the program was located 5-15 minutes from the center. We were not near any restaurants open past 6pm, no bars, nothing. It was a residential family area not proper for young students. Everyone else was not only located near the IES center, but near restaurants, shopping, nightlife; civilization. When we stated our complaints to IES, they told us to stop complaining and get over the fact that we were not close enough to the bars. No one cared about the bars, we wanted to be close enough to school. It is obscene to spend over an hour and a half every day just walking to and from class. After over a month of IES ignoring our complaints about the fact that we were having a drastically different experience than that of all the other IES students, we finally were able to move. Yet, we each had to pay $1000. Once we moved, everything was different and the experience changed drastically. To have made us not only wait a month, but pay an additional thousand dollars is just preposterous. IES, as far up as the Dean of Students, made it very clear that they care very little about the happiness of their students. IES made us seem crazy for disliking our initial location of Monteverde so much, yet the ISC's (Italian Student Companions offered by IES) all mentioned to us that they told IES if they were housed in this location (Monteverde) that they would not work for IES. You would think that would be enough to tell IES not to place students here, but they did anyways.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Like I said, my first housing assignment was not only a basement with no light and no cell service, but it was located 45 minutes from the IES center as well as the rest of Rome's actual city center. Once I moved, the apartment was suffice but still crappy. Yet, we each had to pay $1000 on top of everything else we had paid. Ridiculous.

Of course, Rome has the best food. Most places are average and very touristy, but be sure to find the hidden gems of the city. Those are the best places

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

You are only as integrated as you allow yourself to be.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Rome can be just as dangerous as any city, just don't be stupid and you'll be fine.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

I didn't eat lunch most days and ate out to dinner 3-4 nights a week and spent about $200+ a week on eating out, groceries, and going out at night.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

Select all that apply

• Apartment

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• Americans

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• Americans

• The location of the center
• Great city

• Company's lack of professionalism
• Housing- don't house students 45 minutes from campus when everyone else is 10 minutes away. All students are paying the same and thus should be placed in the same caliber of a living arrangement, in terms of both location and how nice the apartment is.