111 reviews
3.73 / 5 based on 111 reviews
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Laura M
Student life
Describe host city:
Students equally interact with the local and student community
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Activities: Takes place mostly within the university/student environment
Nightlife: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment
Travel: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment
Personal social experience
Personal comments
Testaccio is a great place to really mesh with Italian nightlife. Go to the museums, the historical sites, travel anywhere your interested. It isn't difficult to find some cheap air flights. If you can be there for Notte Bianche, do it! Expect huge crowds though.
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Laura M
Housing
Type of housing: Apartment/House
Arranged by: Host university
If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House
Why?
I enjoy the freedom of the apartment, just not the one the University deemed decent.
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Personal comments
Being a loan student, my loan came late, so the school shifted my housing arrangement to whatever they had left, even though we had discussed the issue. Also, the Housing Coordinator has no sympathy or understanding of how to help with housing issues. The location was great, and although highly recommended by the scool, many students and parents were outraged at the conditions of the "historic" options.
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Laura M
Expenses
Main source of funding:
Other
Other sources of funding:
none
Work opportunities:
It was not legal for me to work
Personal spending habits
School housing was overpriced, the nightlife and the travel are going to cost you and I generally don't indulge in these at home. There is a great cell service available that will cost a lot less than you'd imagine if you can restrict yourself.
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Nightlife, Travel, Housing:
was more expensive than at home.
Telephone, Overall, Food:
was the same price as at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
Personal comments
No suprises, except that if you cannot pay right away, expect to be treated like a second class citizen. Even then, they could care less. Dial up internet was eventually installed in the homes, it was helpful but not the best service. Many cafes do offer free wifi, just grab some coffee and settle in. I would recommend Friends Cafe in Piazza Trilussa.
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Laura M
Academic
Course recommendations
Try to get an AA before heading to the school. The basic courses aren't worth the time. Many of the teachers are pretty arrogant. One was teaching for only a semester before he left there. The italian classes, however, are impeccable.
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My academic experiences
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with international students
Interaction with local students
Personal comments
Assign papers, projects, anything that actually requires a student to think. Make sure that the department heads and the teachers are on the same page, so that the class isn't arranged around a book that wasn't ordered and had to be found online or imported from US. Also the book store is a complete joke.
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My opinion of the university assessment
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
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4
Laura M
Overall
I wish I had known...
That AUR is not very well organized and they do not like to deal with strong willed students. If you have an opinion, they do not care. Also, there are many cliques, the study abroads stay together, the international students stick together, and it is hard to really get to know people there if you aren't into partying.
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In my opinion:
Stay home.
Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
Personal recommendation
Look elsewhere. If you are looking to enrich your self and your education, there are better options. I intended to transfer permanently to AUR and not even a month into the semester realized this was not a great place to get a degree from.
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During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot
Became familiar with another culture
Met people from other countries
Experienced a change in life
Advanced my studies & career
Final comments
Do not believe the hype of AURs website. Also, if you are not doing study abroad but choosing to attend independently for a while, make sure that any courses you take can be transferred to a home university. If not, a home university may charge you a large amount to review what is applicable.
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Laura M
Languages
Language of instruction: English
Local language was: Different than language of instruction
Was learning English a key decision factor?
No, it wasn't.
Was learning Italian a key decision factor?
Yes, I wanted to improve my Italian
How much did you improve your Italian?
My level before: At ease in most situations
My level after: No problems in any areas (including slang)
Language difficulties
Administrative / Institutional
Personal comments
The university administrators communicate only in English or Italian. The staff is very diverse though, so many languages should be available. In the country, you can survive without learning Italian, however it will greatly increase your experience there.
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