IES Abroad Rome

I spent a semester in Rome, Italy, with IES Abroad! My experience was incredible! As an Italian minor, Rome was the perfect, easy choice for me to immerse myself in Italian culture and the language. I lived in a lovely apartment in a residential neighborhood of Rome, only a ten-minute walk away from the Vatican. I passed Castel Sant’Angelo and the Tiber River every day on the way to class. I had the opportunity to take unique classes: Italian language, Culture and Cuisine, Archaeology of Rome, and Cinecittà Studios to Real Locations. All of the classes have classroom days and field study days, where the class would meet in different parts of the city. The professors I took wanted nothing but success for the students and were so supportive throughout the semester. The staff at the IES Center offered fun trips and programs throughout the semester, like gelato making, wine tasting, olive picking, and more! I was also lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel around Europe on the weekends and visit cities like Granada, Stockholm, and Florence.

Being abroad was a truly amazing experience, but I would be lying if I said it was always galmorous. IES Rome was always helpful and provided support before, during, and after the program. There wasn’t a whole lot of information about what the first few days would look like, but once we arrived at the airport in Rome, we were greeting by friendly and eager IES staff. The first week was structured and layed out in detail so there would be no confussion. One of my biggest concerns was that I wouldn’t meet new people, but, esspecially during the first week, there were so many opportunities to meet new people. One of my closest friends from my time in Rome is someone I met just from us ditting next to each other on a bus on the second day of orientation. In all, being abroad will be the experience you make it, so always keep and open mind and try to stay as in the moment as possible.

My time in Rome was the best 4 months of my life. The IES program did a fantastic job of immersing us in the culture by providing fun activities relating to Italian culture. We enjoyed pasta making, olive oil tasting, pizza making, honey tasting, and art-related projects with the Italian students. Essentially, the courses provided us with tours and information on the main attractions of Rome, but also the niche ones I would not have found any other way. Exploring the city was my favorite thing to do and I would find myself wandering around until I found something new and explored it. I was glad that the staff brought us to some of the most beautiful churches and I feel like I know a lot of Italian history. I made incredible friends and made memories with people I had just met just to enjoy this experience to the max. I was thrilled to have met such amazing people including the Italian mentors who gave us great insight being our age in Rome. We learned the dos and don'ts of the culture and I felt confident in myself to be independent in a new place. I loved it and would recommend it to anyone who is still deciding. You won't ever regret it.

This past fall 2019, I had the exciting opportunity to study abroad through IES Abroad's Rome Language and Area Studies Program. Through IES, I opted for homestay housing and I bonded almost immediately with my hostess. The lectures in and outside of the classroom, my coursework and the IES Rome faculty made my studies in Rome extremely fruitful. IES Rome's organized events also gave a great introduction to Roman and Italian culture and inspired me to discover more about the city on my own. I could not have asked for a better culturally immersive experience!

I studied with IES Abroad Rome for the full academic year during my sophomore year of college and had the time of my life. IES was easy to work with both pre-departure and on-site. Before arrival, any questions that I had were answered promptly and thoroughly and the whole experience was very nice. The on-site staff in Rome were all wonderful. They are kind and dedicated people who are committed to ensuring that students have the best experience possible while they are abroad. All of the professors that I had the opportunity to study with were amazing. They were all very knowledgable in their field and made the classes both informative and enjoyable. My homestay was also amazing. It was located in the center of Rome, very close to the IES Center and with easy access to anything that I could possibly need. All of my classes involved field studies that took us all over the city and allowed us to see the things that we had been learning about in person. It really made the experience immersive and helped me to gain a deeper appreciation of my host country's history and culture. Overall, I had an incredible experience with IES Abroad and would recommend them to anyone wanting to have a truly fun and enriching experience.

An amazing opportunity for self-growth, adventure, and a wider sense of the world. IES Rome gave me the opportunity to immerse myself in Italian culture and encouraged me to use my language skills. I became quite familiar with Rome and grew to really love the city and its thousands of years of history. Having a home base in Rome additionally allowed me to travel to many different places in Italy including Cinque Terre, Venice, Amalfi, Florence, Milan, and San Gimignano. It was an incredible 4 months and I am so happy and grateful that I was able to have such a once-in-a-lifetime semester.

I had an amazing time at IES Rome! I was originally hesitant to even consider going abroad, but after some persuasion from my friends, I decided that Rome was the place for me. I heard about IES through some friends of mine who really enjoyed the program and had nothing but amazing things to say about it, my experience was amazing and the reviews I heard were extremely on point. Going abroad is definitely one of the best decisions you could make! The program director and the professors I had throughout the semester were amazing and an invaluable source of support whenever I needed help or had questions about the program. If you do decide to go abroad, IES and Rome specifically were amazing!!! If you choose IES, say hi to Gianni Ponti, he is the best resource if you have any issues or just want to talk!

Studying abroad in Rome through IES was a once in a lifetime experience. I owe a large part my incredible time to IES and specifically the wonderful staff and students of this program. Before even leaving for abroad IES was there every step of the way to ensure I was prepared for my departure. From the second you land in Rome they are there for you, literally picking you up at the airport. They do everything they can to make sure you are comfortable, safe, and immersed by holding a week long orientation and approachable, friendly staff. The program offers multiple social/cultural events throughout the semester and each class has numerous field studies into the city so you are learning on site. I was able to participate in cooking classes, historical site visits, and more. One of the best parts is that you are living and taking classes in the center of the city, with everything from the colosseum to the Vatican in walking distance. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat!