Type of housing: Apartment/House

Arranged by: Independently - I had no other choice

If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House

Why? Campus accomodation isn't offered to foreign students in Perugia, but as long as you leave yourself enough time to be able to be a bit choosy, you will find a place that you like, for the right price and most importantly living with Italian students.

Personal comments:
none

Describe host city: Students equally interact with the local and student community

Activities, Nightlife: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment

Travel: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment

Personal comments:
During the colder months, Caffe Morlacchi, on Piazza Morlacchi is where you'll find the studenty crowd necking their espresso's. The music there is alternative and timeless, and they have live nights on mon. Cavaliere, is the foreign student's hang out, usually filled to the brim with Americans though on a tues night, but one of the rare places where they play hip-hop and R&B, and the guys that Dj there also work for one of the three clubs in the centre, and so it's never too hard to get yourself a free pass-if you're female that is! Bar Birraio, is a very relaxed, arty bar, with music that gives Caffe Morlacchi a run for it's money-and they do glasses of sangria for E2.50, and you get free nibbles! The clubs in the centre are unfortunately over-cramped and under air-conditioned, the music selections are abismaal-Eurotrash all the way, though you will inevitably end up trying them out for size, though if they really don't take your fancy, don't despair coz the bars stay open till 2 every night of the week, which for us poor deprived-of-drinking-time-Brits, usually suffices! The one decent place in town is Velvet, with commercial house, but be prepared to take part in the fashion wars! The big discoteca's are on the outskirts, and are only open on sat night, but the goon news is that you can take a free bus there and back to most of them, from the square outside of the foreigner's uni. The main public event's to take place here are Eurochocolate, around October, which is basically just one big open-air chocolate shop, with the odd spectacle like carving figures out of blocks of chocolate in the main high street and then giving the chippings away for free-min you, remember that they have been trodden on by the artistes!! The other is the Umbria Jazz festival which takes place in the first half of July, which attracts hoards of people and artists as great as Sting, Van Morrison and James Brown-who I will be seeing live this year!

Course recommendations:
This is pretty much pot luck, the best advice that I can offer is to speak to any Italian student friends, or the boys at the Erasmus meeting point (they organise trips, and social events for the international students, aswell as helping you out with any queries if they can!), and ask them about the different courses, and what the teachers are like. Because although I hate to say it, you're mark depends on how much of a swot you are, and how nice the teacher feels like being. The exams are all oral, so therefore are not anonymous, fair and just. It's all exam politics here, giving the right impression, asking lots of questions in class and always sitting at the front to be seen to be attending. For some modules you will be expected to do exactly the same as the other Italian students, and for some you will have to do less than half the workload, though unfortunately for you, or fortunately if you are a lucky person, you will have to take a stab in the dark as much as we did! Just choose something that you think you will be interested in, and that you already have some knowledge about.

Personal comments:
Here it is the students that do the chasing. If you need something then ask, and keep asking until you are blue in the face! Be prepared to wait until you can't feel your legs anymore, and never let them put you down, you have just as much of a right to be there and to be seen to as quickly and as efficiently as everyone else- just keep reminding yourself of that!! As I said before, be clever. Know your teachers! and be honest about your ability and what would be a reasonable compromise.

Language of instruction: Italian

Main source of funding:
An ERASMUS grant

Other sources of funding:
Family
student loan

Work opportunities:
I didn't explore any work options

Personal spending habits:
The general cost of living out here is definitely cheaper, and after a while like anywhere else you learn where to shop, eat out and go out in order to spend your pennies more wisely. Travel was more obviously because I tried to see as much of Italy as I could, but the uni runs very economical trips away too. Then of course I have spent a small fortune on the phone as nearly all student properties are without a landline, even properties in general don't have this luxury, so inevitably if I didn't want to go to the phonebox every single time I wanted to call someone, I'd just use my mobile...oh dear! All I can say is be careful, but you'll all blatantly do the same!

Travel, Overall, Telephone: was more expensive than at home.

Nightlife, Housing: was the same price as at home.

Food: was less expensive than at home.

I wish I had known...
Finding out these things is all part of the experience!

In my opinion:
Most people loved it.