504 reviews
4.16 / 5 based on 504 reviews
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Fiona E
Housing
Type of housing: Apartment/House
Arranged by: Host university
If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House
Why?
I would have preferred to have lived in the centre of the city because it was very difficult to go out on my own in the evenings; what with being a woman in Italy. Also the flats in town are more convenient when you have 6 hour breaks between lectures.
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Personal comments
Most of it is very very ancient!!!! There is the story of a ceiling falling in on a 12th century apartment...My own personal accomodation was a bit of a concrete block and by March it was infested by ants and massive bugs of an indescribable nature??? Sharing a room was quite trying and it meant coming to terms with not being able to have one's own space...which can encourage you to climb the walls.
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3
Fiona E
Student life
Describe host city:
Students equally interact with the local and student community
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Activities, Nightlife, Travel: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment
Personal social experience
Personal comments
It depends on whether you fancy ERASMUS student nights or the all hallowed "Locals" nights. Personally after the first three months I lost my will to be a stranger among the locals and I opted for the safe haven of the other Northern European students. "jam" is where the crowd head to on a Saturday night. The Golem cafe is good for unwinding the morning after and for cosy little meetings on cold winter evenings. The Giardini Margherita has a nice little cafe and is where everyone heads to "fare la passegiata" on a Sunday. I personally enjoy the walk up to the monastery of San Luca and then having a beer in the restaurant at the top (I would only advise this for the most active of you-there's a challenge!!). There is "Soleluna" the cheesy (fake) beach disco bar and if you fancy a real cheesy disco bar head down to Rimini (apparently the new Ibiza-I never saw much evidence of this???). Also make the most of the fact that Bologna is the central rail terminal and go anywhere you feel like!!!
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Fiona E
Academic
Course recommendations
The level doesn't seem to change regardless of whether it's a 1st year or a third year course (or an 8th year??). The lecturers treat you like a piece of dung if they ever notice you at all and there seemed to be a great deal of animosity towards English speakers (especially non-American ones who don't pay huge amounts of money for support). Don't rely on the teaching staff to help you in any way and it is nigh on impossible to find anyone who can assist you with any academic questions you may have...in my opinion give up on trying to learn anything (you won't- maybe the meaning of the word bureaucracy) and have some serious fun!!!
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My academic experiences
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with international students
Interaction with local students
Personal comments
It would be nice if they could actually take the trouble to assign you to a supervisor who might actually know something about your course area or the differences between courses and assessment methods in your native country. Oral exams are normal in Italy and most British students are used to a written culture, some assistance would have been good to help us with the transition.
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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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2
Fiona E
Overall
I wish I had known...
Don't go on your own!!! I did and despite the fact that you meet a lot of people...these other people have often come in huge groups and they know who their friends are and they don't seem to have much room for loan stragglers. I went from having an amazing social life and loads of friends at my home university to being a bit of a castaway in Bologna. I now know that it wasn't my fault because the emails kept coming from home and as soon as I got back I was able to make friends again and be normal?? Also be aware that without a pile of money it is very hard to maintain the social life required to be a member of the "In-Crowd" in Bologna, it seems to attract the rich, useless crowd???
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In my opinion:
Most people loved it.
Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
Personal recommendation
If you have lived at home for your entire home university experience you will probable love the freedom and the new, exciting social life. However, for those of you who have been there and done that, you may find it a little backward, to say the least. A lot of people seemed to really enjoy life in Bologna but they were mostly rich, academically uninterested, alcoholic, clothes horses. Be warned - if you like to have close meaningful relationships, a sense of security in your life and you don't have much money or many "contacts" daaarling!!! Bologna may not be the place for you.
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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
The first five months were an exciting and vibrant experience but when the money and your patience with the other people from your country (who you will be lumbered with-no matter how you try to blend in) may well wear out. My advice: Leave before the novelty wears off and you can't wait to feel the rain of England or wherever else you call HOME!!
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0
Fiona E
Expenses
Main source of funding:
An ERASMUS grant
Other sources of funding:
Government assistance
Work opportunities:
I worked during my study abroad experience
Personal spending habits
This is Italy baby!!! You have to shop!!! and the opportunity to travel is just too tempting...and it doesn't always come cheaply. But food is cheap and good and wine and booze in general is sooo cheap it could become easy to be an alcoholic...
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Nightlife, Travel, Overall:
was more expensive than at home.
Telephone:
was the same price as at home.
Food, Housing:
was less expensive than at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
Personal comments
Flights!! Although you can claim them back from your LEA, you do have to make the initial payment yourself first and the LEA's are not very prompt about recrediting your account. Also beware at the end of the year of excess baggage charges - they can escalate...
Last Tip: Go to IKEA - it is in Casalecchio and a free bus runs from Piazza dei Martiri (I think that's the name) but do go it's great for cheap house stuff and Euromercato is just next door with lots of cheap food.
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1
Fiona E
Languages
Language of instruction: Italian
Was learning Italian a key decision factor?
No, it wasn't.
How much did you improve your Italian?
My level before: Everyday knowledge (shopping, directions, etc.)
My level after: At ease in most situations
Language difficulties
Administrative / Institutional
Personal comments
The language course offered by the ERASMUS programme left a lot to be desired academically but was a good opportunity to meet the other foreign students out there. In my first term I lived entirely with Italians and it was eventually a very alienating experience. You have to remember that no matter how fantastic your language skills are you just don't have the cultural background to be able to blend in completely- think about how many conversations you have at uni about your common experiences (ie. South Park, Bag Puss) and imagine a group of people taliking about the same sort of things but you just don't get it and that is basically the key to the reason why one can never really go native!!
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