John Cabot University

I am American, so I was going from dollars to euro.

The library was terrible, a joke really. Academics were not taken seriously, at least by the study abroad students and professors (AS I understand it there are different standards for study abroad vs. degree seeking students). That was all well and good, it left flexibility for travel and fun, but it really sunk below acceptable when I wasn't asked to submit a bibliography for a paper.

Italian is really essential, no to John Cabot, but to a great study abroad experience. People I knew who didn't speak Italian were frequently frustrated by things that I greatly enjoyed, such as going grocery shopping. Italians are really friendly people (to overgeneralize) so I found that, even with minimal italian (only one semester prior to going) I was able to get by because they were patient and willing to help understand.

With minimal effort, you can achieve very good grades. Just don't forget (amidst all the travelling, fun, & new experiences) to put in that minimal effort.

From what I heard from students living in JCU housing, it was pretty far away from the university (~45 minutes) and was dorm-style living with no visitors permitted unless registered. When I studied abroad, I traveled, often visiting friends in other cities and they came to visit me in Rome. It would've been a pain and costly if they'd had to pay for a place to stay rather than just being able to stay with me. Furthermore, I actually befriended some of my neighbors in the apartment building, a really nice family, and they frequently invited me over. It turned out to be a really nice part of the abroad experience which I would've missed out on in campus housing.