My summer in Viterbo was an unforgetable experience! Past Review

By (Liberal Studies, California State University - Dominguez Hills) for

USAC Italy: Viterbo - Intensive Italian Language, History, and the Arts

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
My attitude towards a lot of things changed. Their way of living really had an impact on me. I absolutely recomend it to everyone, it is an amazing experience to have!

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I took three courses: Italian Studio Art Hill Tows The Itan class was fun, we had a great instructor. She was nice and easy going. The grading was fairly easy. I enjoyed the fact that she would adopt her lessons to watever it is we were going thought. The art class was amazing! I learn a lot and it was great to walk around Italy and draw different parts of it. Hill towns was also a great course because we got to see so much if Italy because of the fieldtrips in this class. The instructor was so knoledgable. He didn't speak much english but we had a traslator which was kind of interesting.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

All faculty and staff were friendly, nice and approchable. They were always there to help in any way they could.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I will start with the bad. The doorms were the furthest from the school. Some of the apartments have things that other people leave behind, wich can be helpful and there is nothing like that at the doorms. There is less privacy and you can't really have guest over. There is nobody there to really help you with language in case you need anyting. The good. They do housekeeping often, which is a huuuuuge plus. You have your own space all for yourself. It is a nice quiet place in case you want to study or be alone. They have phones to call other people living in the doorms. You don't have to worry about your roomates and some of the dramma that comes with it. Overall, I think if I were to do it again I would get an apartment. The apartments are more centraly located and you get to interact more with Italians.

* Food:

We had the option to eat some of the cafeteria food they have for the university studnets there or eat out. The cafeteria food was way cheeper and it was decent so most of us would eat there.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I loooooved it! I had the most amazing time there. It is a great place to have fun and relax for a while. I met some great people and I hope to be back one day. There are many places you can go to that are well known and the trasportation sistem is very good. I would be prepared to do a lot of walking.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

Safety was never an issue. I would take precautons like not walking home along late at night and things like that but it was a pretty safe place to stay in.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* 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)

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
Language acquisition improvement?

They highly encourage you to take learn the language. However, what I like about the program is that they try to find the right class for you. They are honest with the course load so that you are able to learn but have time for fun as well.

If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • N/A

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? - Do not over pack! I took my whole house and when it was time to travel around I had the worst time. Take old clothes/shoes that you can throw away there, specially if you will be buying more clothes there. - Girls, don't take heels - Have some money saved at home or with you just in case you run out of money - Take some cash withy you because some people had problems with their banks and they couldn't take out money the first days. - To travel in Europe look for flights on Ryanair (will need to be able to pacl light for these flights otherwise it will get expensive fast) - Dont' be scared to try things, you will regret not doing them later on. - Forget about being tired, go out - Enjoy your stay there because time will fly!