AUR- Encouraging Segregation and Seperation Past Review
By Alex M (Literature, SUNY Purchase) for
SUNY Broome: Rome - Study Abroad at American University of Rome
It was worthwhile to be able to live in a different country for an extended period of time- the idea of "study abroad" was more or less a vehicle to allow such to happen... which may or may not be the general focus of these programs
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. |
Work was easy and light. Professors did not expect very much out of their students. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Administration was generally responsive and helpful. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Apartment was in an alright neighborhood but confined to areas of the city that did not have many locals of the same age. I felt as if this discouraged creating bonds with local people and segregating the (mostly) American student population of the school from the local population. |
| * Food: |
...it's Italy. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The social and non-academic aspects of the PROGRAM were very useless- only really encouraging friendships between people from New York and Boston (for example). Albeit these are not completely un-worthwhile, I believe it is more important to create international bonds (such should be the focus of international programs). The school offered very few opportunities to immerse oneself in Rome while offering plenty of opportunities to stay in segregated groups of Americans amongst Romans. |
| * Safety: |
Generally felt safe/ did not get sick. |
| 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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Italian (language) professors were great and very helpful. I do think they should have pushed the students much harder though. It was entirely possible to walk away knowing VERY little Italian. |
| 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? | Although Rome is great, it would be better to find a different program/different city that offers more immersion with (at the very least) an international crowd, if not just the local population. Meeting more Americans is not the purpose of study abroad. |
