A great experience

IES Rome was great. Primarily, the IES center is located directly acorss from Castel Sant'Angelo, and IES students are housed in apartments all over the city. IES students can choose to be housed in either homestays or apartments, and I chose to live in an apartment. I ended up sharing a bedroom with a local Italian student, and she became a great friend and resource while living in Rome.

I come from an Italian-American family but had very little experience studying the language in a formal setting, and my language skills improved dramatically while abroad. IES is great in that it is possible to take classes entirely taught in Italian that are designed for non-Italian natives, which I found challenging and fun. IES really takes advantage of its key location in Rome, and every class goes on various field studies throughout the semester. In my classes, I went to important museums, government buildings, and various theatrical productions throughout the city that I otherwise would not have been able to see.

I also interned while in Rome, and it was wonderful. I only spoke Italian in the office, and my work translating only improved my Italian more. I am definitely accustomed to a full schedule at my university in America, and interning kept me busy and immersed in Italian culture, while giving me international work experience to add to my resume.

Overall, I would definitely recommend IES Rome. The center staff are wonderful and extremely helpful, and overall the professors were excellent. Rome is a chaotic city and can be extremely overwhelming, but IES's smaller community makes the experience that much more manageable.