My Semester in Rome! Past Review
By Megan G (Marketing, University of Iowa) for
ISA Study Abroad in Rome, Italy
I grew so much as a person studying abroad and wouldn't change this experience for anything.
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. |
I had classes directly transfer to my business degree. The business professors were all seasoned professionals with a lot of experience in the real world that they could relate to their teaching. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The on-site ISA administrators were very cliquey. They had students that they liked and hung out with, but if you were not one of those people they hardly talked to you. I don't even think they knew my name. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The house wasn't super nice and I lived with a lot of girls, but I liked living in an apartment. Ours was very close to campus too which was super nice! |
| * Food: |
Food in Italy is amazing, but we weren't provided with a lot of advice on where/what to eat. It was trial by error. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We went on fun overnight outings to Florence, Sorrento & Capri. |
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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? |
Yes
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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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
People spoke minimal English because Rome is such a tourist town, but we did need to know minimal amounts. The course we took helped us learn certain phrases we needed to know. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Travel a lot, but don't forget to become friends with people in your program. I studied abroad almost 3 years ago, but am still lifelong friends with people I met. Also - the most fun weekends can be those that you spend exploring your host city, so don't travel every weekend! |
