Location is everything... but everything else sucks.

Trastevere is beautiful but John Cabot is not. Here are the biggest problems I encountered:

1) Housing Department: JCU has a regressive drinking policy, checking even students' trash for alcohol containers that exceed its per person limit. Further, we were not allowed to have any guests over past 11:30pm. I suppose JCU would prefer that we go to bars after curfew because we can't hang out with our friends in the comfort of our own safe homes (this is what most students resorted to)...

I was sent home after one month at JCU due to the coronavirus, and JCU refused to even partially refund housing. My home university, along with the majority of schools in the US, refunded housing without question. This was a grossly unethical decision on JCU's part.

The wifi also NEVER worked in our apartment, so I couldn't complete any homework at home. JCU housing is so expensive that students should at least be able to expect wifi.

2) Career Department: I was offered an internship in Rome before I arrived, facilitated by the career department, and they essentially forced me into the decision. Within 12 hours of receiving the offer, JCU Career Services demanded that I accept. Later on, they urged me to work more hours than I initially agreed to, at the expense of my coursework. It is very clear that this university prioritizes their industry reputation above the academic success of their students.

There are also issues with faculty responsiveness, but these are more difficult to manage. I once had a professor tell the class that he simply "doesn't check his email," so we shouldn't expect him to respond to questions about the course.

Overall, I loved Rome but I wish I had chosen a different university. I've talked to many full-time students at JCU and they also dislike much about the university.