Summer in Italia Past Review
By Stephanie A (HISTORY., SUNY - Binghamton) for
Study Abroad Programs in Italy
I'm not sure exactly if I would choose the program. It was pretty convenient since in the hotel there was AC and they cleaned our rooms but it wasn't much of a cultural or an Italian immersion experience.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The workload was not so bad and the teaching methods were pretty good. However, they graded on a few things since they did not give so much homework or tests. I just had one final and about 5 homework assignments that they are giving me a final grade on. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Dr. Mignone is a great man and he is very helpful. He really cared about the students and their safety and wanted them to have a good time. However, I think the size of the program was too big. It made it difficult to handle all the students. There are about 140 students in the program and many of them were obnoxious or immature and had no interest in Italian culture but in drinking. However, I really liked the classes I took and the professors. Safety is a big issue in the trip. The employees in the hotel are irresponsible, especially the bartenders. They attempt to seduce women and gave drinks to girls for free for personal purposes. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The hotel was very near the metro. The restaurants around the hotel were much cheaper than they would have been in the center. And though it is not difficult to get to the center of the city (nightlife) the metro does not run after midnight and sometimes after 11pm so you have to constantly take a cab back to the hotel. The cleaning ladies at the hotel were very nice, though I heard that a lot of students were missing items in their rooms. I just had a problem with the bartenders of the hotel because they would flirt with American girls so much and would give free drinks so that they can get them drunk and do stuff with them. That's the only downfall to the treatment of the hotel. Also, lunch at the hotel wasn't so great either. |
| * Food: |
The breakfast at the hotel was normal and typical (but good) but lunch at the hotel was not so good and it was the same thing all the time. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The excursions were very nice and I met some nice Italians at a restaurants. They were waiters. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Some people in the program got arrested and students were not so safe in the hotel because of people like the bartenders. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I spent a lot of money. I spent about $1300 in a month (and I was in a cheaper area of Rome. I avoided eating out in the center of the city and I did not go out drinking as much or buy as much gifts because it was my 3rd time in Italy). |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Don't eat out in downtown Rome because it is much more expensive since there are more tourists there. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Most people spoke English or at least understood it. But I spoke Italian in restaurants and to speak to native Italians that did not know 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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | An outgoing and cultural person that is interested in learning the language and getting to know locals. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
The Italian Scene |
| Course Department: | ITAL 447 |
| Instructor: | Rita Bove |
| Instruction Language: | Italian |
| Comments: | I loved this course. We spoke in Italian and practiced our Italian verbally. We did not study grammar but we learned new expressions and phrases as well as improved our written Italian by reading Italian newspapers. I participated as much as my home institution because the class size was small just like at home. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. The credits transferred. |
