Genoa - Semester Program Integrated with the University of Genoa Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

It was a wonderful academic environment. I don't quite know how Harvard does it, but it makes me care about my grades more than my learning. In this program--perhaps because it was summer and in a foreign country in which I could only speak the foreign language--only learning (the language, history, culture, and about myself) were stressed without causing me stress. It may have also had something to do with the one-on-one system the program cultivated. I am, admittedly, a baby for attention. In lectures and even small group discussions, I find it difficult to speak half the time, which is often what I would like to do. At this program, I was able to go at precisely my own pace with the professor, which does mean I neglected the business of a social academic experience (which I necessarily have at Harvard), but I learned a lot more from it. I had a couple of compositions every week, and I had homework exercises and readings assigned every day. That is, I was constantly fed feedback concerning how I could improve. My only formal exam was on the second-to-last-day of class, which included material for both courses, an oral exam, and extensive cultural questions about Italy and Genoa it was expected I would have learned

On-site administration of your program

I had to worry about no logistics, because everything was so well put together. Expectations were met and exceeded in absolutely every way, with one exception: my living arrangements were not quite what I had anticipated. That will be chatted about below.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My housing was in a way ideal. I lived right across the street from the school literally in the middle of Genoa (extremely, extremely, extremely safe). Nevertheless, it was advertised as a hotel-converted-into-a-bed-and-breakfast, and, unfortunately, no breakfast was provided. This was because its owner left for vacationing and working in Milan shortly before my arrival (and, I suspect, was just extremely lazy). The family who ran the hotel was mostly a family of lunatics, to my mind, with the one exception of the son, with whom I spoke in Italian and from whom I did learn quite a bit about life in Genoa, Torino, and Milan. Sure, there was a bed and an absolutely wonderful bed prepared for me, but I had to pay money for something other than what I had anticipated and what my program director had negotiated for and agreed upon with the apartment owners, and it was acceptable only because it was Italy and not the States. Totally disappointing, but fortunately the program director will never deal with the bed and breakfast again.

I bought my own food and cooked it, which was fantastic. I also ate food in Genoa, which is Italian food, so about as good as possible.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

We went to the beach (Italian Riviera). We toured the streets a couple of times and had personally guided tours in the big museums in Genoa. We had two excursions to extremely expensive restaurants that had authentic Genovese food (at times the food was produced in only that specific neighborhood in the world, and often I claimed I had never eaten something so mouth-watering). With my internship boss, I went to two waterpolo games--another fun thing one does in Genoa. OOOOOO, and I went to the Teatro Carlo Felice, which is Genoa's Opera House, to see the finale of Madame Butterfly. My first opera--amazzzzziiiinnngg!

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

The program director cared consciously about our safety. We had health insurance, were never at a safety risk, and had explained to us that Genoa was a city of hospitals, including the largest hospital in Europe.

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

I could practice with my professors, the program's secretary, Italian lawyers, judges, businesspeople, and politicians, my internship's owner, and every Italian living in Italy. Because it's Genoa, nearly no one spoke English, actually, which to my mind makes this a more attractive study abroad program than any other in Italy.

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