John Cabot University

I enjoyed being able to have a sense of self in the middle of a foreign country. It was nice to have a place I could come home to and feel was mine. Also I feel it was a great way to experience really living in Rome. I felt independent and learned how to solve typical household problems common to the city (water, aplliances,cooking etc). I enjoyed solving these puzzles for myself and felt a great sense of accomplishment running my own home in the middle of such a new environment without the shortcuts that would have been provided by a family stay.

I budgeted accordingly, and allowed myself extra money for each of these things. Also many of the best experiences cost money. One exception was travel, there are many deals available to make it affordable to see the entire region without going broke.

Be aware that the schedule of courses is not set until courses began. It is important to have flexability in your schedule becaues it will likely be changed several times. Choose several possibilities for courses, as one may easily be canceled after you arrive.

I felt that the quality of the business courses were somewhat lower than at home. However, it was nice to have a lighter class load when trying to balance academics with travel and other social activities. I think the balance is ideal, however if one needs good working knowledge in their area of study, classes should have been a bit more rigorous.

Italian men can be difficult if you are a blonde woman, consider goin brunette to blend into the crowd more easily.

JCU does a great job of coordinting activities and integrating students into the city and culture. What it lacks in academics it makes up for in spades with the experience.