Rewarding, challenging, growth, pizza! November 13, 2022
By A student (Environmental Chemistry Major, Food Studies Minor, Middlebury College) - abroad from 02/01/2022 to 06/30/2022 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Rome
I did an internship with UNESCO and learned how to speak Italian in a professional working environment.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The course I took at the University of Rome was much more rigorous compared to those offered by the Middlebury program. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration based in Florence did not do the best job at communicating with students studying in Rome. No concrete excursions or programs were planned for students in Rome. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in an apartment in the center of Rome that was comfortable and felt very safe. |
| * Food: |
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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? |
Really easy to navigate. |
| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
It was such a great experience living and studying in Rome - a city that definitely stole my heart. I loved the independence that the program in Rome gave me. |
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? | Between 30-100 euros depending on the week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Make a budget and keep track of how much money you spend eating out. |
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 |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 300-level |
| 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? | Stick to the language pledge; watch movies/podcasts/ TV in Italian. Speak to locals. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | There will be ups and downs to your abroad experience and it's important to find a support network/community/ friends to enjoy the experience with. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
La Stilistica - Italian Grammar Course |
| Course Department: | Italian |
| Instructor: | Prof. Tacchi |
| Instruction Language: | Italian |
| Comments: | The teacher was really kind, but the course was not challenging. It would have been a great course for beginner-intermediate Italian speakers, but was not geared toward the 'advanced' Italian track. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Cultura contemporanea e questioni d’identità in Italia d’oggi |
| Course Department: | Italian |
| Instructor: | Allison Grimaldi Donahue |
| Instruction Language: | Italian |
| Comments: | This course was amazing. The professor was extremely knowledgeable and organized great field trips around Rome. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
| Course Name/Rating: |
I fondamenti di Geologia |
| Course Department: | Scienze geografiche per l'ambiente e la salute |
| Instructor: | Fabio Trippetta |
| Instruction Language: | Italian |
| Comments: | This course was challenging but doable! No field trips and was mostly lecture-based. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. |
