IES Abroad Rome – Language & Area Studies

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 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.

In Fall 2019 I studied abroad through IES Abroad's Rome Language and Area Studies Program. They offer a wide variety of courses and I was able to take classes that counted toward my journalism major. The classes were oriented around Italian culture which helped to make my whole experience extremely immersive. I learned about Italian cinema, Roman history and made an entire documentary in the streets of Rome. Italian language classes were extremely effective and I felt my speaking skills improved drastically in the time I was there. My housing was clean, comfortable and in a beautiful neighborhood. The best part of my experience was making friends with my 7 roommates- many of whom I still regularly stay in touch with. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. I dream of going back all the time!

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