ISA Rome - not the highest caliber program Past Review
By Samantha P (Classical Languages, Carleton College) for
ISA Study Abroad in Rome, Italy
Very worthwhile, but I had to work really hard independently to make it so. Other students might benefit from a more structured, high quality program.
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. |
I didn't feel that the classes were as rigorous or engaging as Carleton classes, but I still worked hard and got a lot out of it. Many other program participants purposely chose easy, "joke" classes, and spent most of their time partying. My classes were mainly with resident students, who were more serious about their studies. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were all knowledgeable, friendly, and very willing to help with anything we needed, but I'm not sure their skills and knowledge were really appreciated. Most program participants seemed to think of them as tour directors rather than program support. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My apartment was in a very nice neighborhood, close to school, and the apartment itself was quite nice. I wish there had been a homestay option or the option to live with Italian students, because we only ever spoke English in the apartment. |
| * Food: |
It's kind of tough to be a vegetarian in Italy and get enough protein without eating eggs EVERY DAY, which got boring really quickly. I was willing to change my eating habits, introducing fish into my diet, but strict vegetarians might have problems, and vegans even more so. Also, few things in Italy are Celiac-friendly. |
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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? |
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| * Safety: |
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| 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? | Rome is an expensive city, I spent anywhere from $100 to $200 a week in food and other expenses |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | My strategy was to be frugal during the week and spend my money on travel and other cultural experiences. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I had never studied Italian before. |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Most people on my program took Italian 100 (Survival Italian), I took an accelerated course. I learned quite a lot, and by the end was able to communicate effectively, if not elegantly. There was a language buddy program, but it wasn't very well organized or managed, and seemed to fall apart after 1 or 2 meetings. My best practice came from speaking to Italians I met. But everyone on my program, at the University, and the program directors, spoke English. |
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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