ISA Study Abroad in Rome, Italy

This program was the best I could have asked or out of a study abroad program! We got to fully merge into the Roman lifestyles and do as the Romans do. It was great to have an apartment because it felt like we were more involved in the community. We learned about each site by visiting them individually and this made the information stick really well, especially for a visual learner like myself! The ISA staff was so wonderful in helping us with all that we needed while in Italy--everything from picking us up from the airport, to helping us plan trips while in Italy, to giving us recommendations for fun things to do while abroad! I would recommend his program to absolutely anyone wanting to experience life abroad!

I honestly can't speak highly enough of this program. From arriving at the airport, to orienting you to the city, to taking you on excursions through some of the best places in Italy, ISA has set up a phenomenal program.

Rome stole my heart and I will definitely be going back some day. I loved buying fruit at the local frutteria and eating dinner at the quaint restaurants in Trastevere. My professors at AUR were from all over the world and I felt like I truly found what it meant to become a "cultured" person. ISA worked really with my school to accommodate program costs with my financial aid package. If you ever get the chance, do not hesitate - go!!!

One of my favorite things about this program was the included excursions to different parts of Italy, as well as the included tours of museums and historical sights. I always felt safe in my neighborhood, and the American University of Rome is such a great school to be a part of. There was a great sense of community with fellow students and it was awesome to get to experience a foreign country with so many fun people.

A day in Roma is better day then anywhere else. The staff was wonderful and was so helpful in every situation. They even came to the grocery store when we couldnt find things we needed (we couldnt read the labels haha). Roma has so much culture and experiences that you never have a day where there is nothing to do.

Rome has so much to offer students of every type and interest. Spending even just an afternoon in the city full of modern life and yet infused with the ancient remains of the past is enough to make anybody question how they think about history. Combined with the proximity to the Vatican, Rome just has so much to offer. ISA had a great program with excursions to Florence and Sorrento, and AUR is a great school with supportive faculty and great students.

I had originally decided to study abroad with a friend but after she realized that she couldn't come, I went by myself. At first I was scared since this was my first time traveling outside of the country by myself but it ended up being one of the best decisions ever. ISA did a fabulous job matching me up with 3 other amazing girls who I still keep in touch with to this day. In fact, one of them is actually getting married next summer and we're all planning to visit her! If you can, I would suggest studying abroad by yourself because it truly pushes you to step out of your comfort zone. There were 4 other girls in my program who all came together and while it was probably nice and easy for them to do everything together, I hardly saw them taking advantage of interacting with the locals and the other people at the University and in the program.

I couldn't have chosen a better place to study abroad. Although the heat could get extremely irritating, the food, sights, and social scene definitely made up for it. Plus, I am Roman Catholic so it was really nice to visit all of the beautiful churches and see where the Pope lives.

Both the ISA staff in Austin and in Rome were very helpful and easy to talk to. When a document that I needed to submit was going to come in late because of a mistake my university had made, they didn't charge me a late fee. There was also the weekend when I got a bug bite on my eyelid which caused it to swell up. I was freaking out since I looked like Quasimodo but one of the staff members helped me calm down and brought me to a pharmacy right away. She acted as a translator so I could get the medicine I needed and it only lasted for 3 days.

The American University of Rome is a small but beautiful campus and I really enjoyed interacting with students from all over. I met people from so many different places, ranging from New York and Arkansas to Venezuela and Trinidad. I took an Art of Rome class which allowed us to visit new sites instead of sitting in a classroom which was a fun way to get a lot of traveling done. However, the public transporation in Rome isn't very reliable and there were plenty of times were I was stuck waiting for what seemed like ages. I also took an Introduction to Language and Culture class that was easy but very interesting. Overall, the classes were not very difficult and the professors were very sweet. However, not all of the classes offered at this University are the same. I had roommates who had 12 page research papers due and multiple presentations so it really depends on what you choose.

Although I was only able to study in Rome for a month, the experience never made me feel like I missed out on anything. Excursions are included and make up a majority of my favorite memories abroad. This is when I got to go wine tasting in Tuscany and swim through a grotto in Capri. Especially in the summer when there are hundreds of tourists fighting to get their best shot of the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, or the Colosseum, ISA's planning couldn't have been better. We hardly ever had to wait too long to get into a museum, our hotels were always in the heart of whatever city we were visiting, and our tour guides were always entertaining. With ISA, you truly get your money's worth and I highly recommend studying abroad with them.

I enjoyed my experience with ISA so much that I couldn't bear to let it go as soon as I got back to the USA. I chose to become a Global Ambassador for ISA. Now, I tell students about my experience and hope that they choose ISA for their study abroad experience.

The best part of being abroad was the every day adventures I would take. It could be something as little as navigating the tram to planning a long, eventful weekend in another country - no adventure was too exciting!

I loved the ISA staff. They made us feel so welcome from the start. I enjoyed all of our excursions, especially since I didn't have to plan them - it was like a bonus having it planned out already! The activities like day tours/trips and cooking classes broke up the weeks in a fun way, and helped me not miss my family so much.

The American University of Rome was a great place to meet people from all over the world, and learn things that you wouldn't normally learn at a university in the United States - like having a hands-on Archaeology of Rome class.

My living situation COULD NOT have been better! I was matched up and lived with the most wonderful group of girls. We got along from the very beginning, and cried our eyes out when we had to say goodbye. Our apartment was very nice, clean and functional. Of course it took us a while to get used to Italian appliances and their quirks, but it was all part of the fun.

I had to jump over several hurdles to study abroad, and I even lost a scholarship because I left the country. But I would do it all over again, I have ZERO regrets and TONS of memories.