EMLYON Business School
 
Grenoble EM
 
ESADE Business School
 
Rouen BS
 
ESSCA
Studies > Italy > Catania > Università di Catania > 2-star reviews
 
Contact: +39 095 730 72 23

Università di Catania

University of Catania, Via Antonino di Sangiuliano, 262 CAP, 95131 Catania, Italy
3.56 / 5 based on 60 reviews.
Description:
Through experiences in transnational mobility promoted by Community programmes such as Socrates/Erasmus, the University of Catania has been experimenting with new and valuable forms of inter-university educational cooperation,which have given an ever- growing number of our students the possibility of learning, discovering new horizons and improving their knowledges in other European Union member states.

At the same time, we have hosted many European students, who have had the opportunity to benefit from a wide and variegated range of studies within our structures, but also from an intense and rewarding social life in our town.



Programmes
Accreditations
81% of students recommend
60 reviews
Housing
3.4/5
All experiences (60)
Student life
4.0/5
5 stars (18)
Academic
3.1/5
4 stars (18)
Languages
3.8/5
3 stars (12)
Expenses
3.6/5
2 stars (6)
Overall
4.0/5
1 star (6)
ugh. Read Review
insidiari, Ireland

1 2-star review of Università di Catania

PAGE: 1   
1 to 1 of 1 
Review by joanne, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Archaeology, Erasmus
HOUSING    
Personal assessment
Cost
KEY:
Couldn't have asked for more.
Pretty good.
Could've been better, but didn't lessen the overall experience.
Disappointing.
Facilities
Location
Cleanliness
Space
Type of housing: A student residence 40mins walk from the campus!
Arranged by: Host university
If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House
Why? I did move out of the student residence and into an apartment after a few weeks because of the distance from the university, the unsafe location of the residence, and the tiny room I shared with another student.
Personal comments:
It was in an unpleasant location, 40-45 mins. walk from campus with unreliable public transport. There were no non-smoking recreation rooms, not even a dining room. There were no single rooms and the rooms were very cramped. The cooking food storage facilities were completely innadequate for the number of students. There was one computer available to 60-80 students. The manager of the facility was rude and unprofessional.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
Was this review useful?   Yes · No

STUDENT LIFE    
Personal social experience
Activities
KEY:
Amazing! Hardly had time to study.
Plenty to do when I had the time.
So-so.
Did not get involved.
Nightlife
Travel
Overall
Describe host city: Student life dominates the city
Activities, Nightlife, Travel: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment
Personal comments:
Travelling outside Catania is a must. Taormina, Enna, Syracusa and Agrigento are all worth seeing and relatively cheap to get to.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
Was this review useful?   Yes · No

ACADEMIC    
My academic experiences
Quality of courses
KEY:
Fantastic.
Pretty good.
Could've been a bit better.
Disappointing.
Variety of courses
Availability/access to resources
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with other international students
Interaction with local students
Course recommendations:
There is no online student system which makes choosing courses time consuming, especially given the modular system. Many courses I was led to believe I could do together ended up being scheduled for the same time. Times and days for individual courses were made available very close to the commencement of term, making it impossible to get my reding lists in advance of lectures. The information available on the website is very poor.



My opinion of the university assessment
Exams at end of course
KEY:
Liked it.
It was alright.
A bit annoying.
Didn't like it.
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course.
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
Overall
Personal comments:
I found the aural exam format very stressful, especially given that I was speaking a new language in front of my entire class during exams. There were often waiting periods of several hours and last minute postponements before exams. There were little or no allowances made for those new to the language.

This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
Was this review useful?   Yes · No

Language difficulties
Social
KEY:
No problems.
I coped pretty well.
Sometimes it was difficult.
It was a constant struggle.
Educational
Administrative / Institutional
Overall
Language of instruction: Italian
Was learning Italian a key decision factor?
Yes, I wanted to improve my Italian
How much did you improve your Italian?
My level before: Basic phrases
My level after: Everyday knowledge (shopping, directions, etc.)
Personal comments:
The Italian course provided was mandatory but not free! My level of Italian was basic but the course did not advance past this level. It was time intensive during the first 6 weeks and then ceased. It was completely innadequate for the academic courses I was taking. It should gave begun BEFORE lectures and continued throughout the year, increasing in difficulty. The amount of credits (3) I received for the course was completely disproportionate to the hours I spent doing it (12 hours a week).
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
Was this review useful?   Yes · No

EXPENSES    
The accessibility of student needs
Second-hand text books
KEY:
Very easy.
Minimal effort.
Accessible but required effort.
Almost impossible.
Second-hand household items
Computers / Internet
Administrative
Money from home
Main source of funding:
Family
Other sources of funding:
An ERASMUS grant
Work opportunities:
I didn't explore any work options
Personal spending habits:
It was neccessary for my sanity to travel outside Catania alot. I flew home and back twice also a few times. The rent was cheap but I do not pay rent at home.
Travel, Telephone, Housing: was more expensive than at home.
Overall: was the same price as at home.
Food, Nightlife: was less expensive than at home.
Personal comments:
The computer facilities on and off campus were a joke. I missed wifi alot!
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
Was this review useful?   Yes · No

OVERALL    
Important to choosing this university...
Academic reasons
KEY:
Very Important.
Important.
Not really important.
Unimportant.
Culture
Costs
Activities
Campus life
Party / people
Weather / Location
I wish I had known...
Many things. What Catania was relly like as a city. How much Italian men stare at you. How unbelievably bureaucratic Italian universities are. That my level of Italian wasn't near good enough.
In my opinion:
Stay home.



During my experience abroad, I ...
Became familiar with another culture
KEY:
Happened all the time.
Happened quite a lot.
Happened a bit.
Didn't happen.
Traveled
Improved language skills
Met people from other countries
Became more independent
Partied a lot
Experienced a change in life
Advanced my studies/career
Personal recommendation:
I don't have one.



FINAL COMMENTS

ugh.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
Was this review useful?   Yes · No