Vic OE Evaluation Form
A: Student Information
VUW degree(s)
Major(s)
Exchange
Institution
VUW Tri & Year
of Exchange
BA
Media Studies
LUISS Guido Carli, Roma
September 2012 (semester 2)
B: Finances
Please detail your basic costs in New Zealand dollars. This will help future students plan their own budgets.
(Enter your number rounded to the nearest dollar.)
Books
$70 – I didn’t buy all of the textbooks as I was lucky and had really
friendly Professors, they emailed them to me so I just had the online
format and didn’t have more bulk things to bring home.
Accommodation
I did au pairing for a family from Rome so I didn’t have accomodation
costs. But my friends paid anywhere between 350Euro per month
(sharing room) to 700 euro for a really fancy room by yourself. Au pairing
was really fun as I was a 2 minute walk from the uni and only worked
mornings from 7-8.30 on school days.
Return Airfare
$2800 including stops in San Francisco for a month on the way (normally
under 2k if go through Dubai)
Local
Transportation
Meals
35 euro per month gets unlimited bus and
Visa
Free, just permission to stay is a hidden cost. It is anywhere between 30
euro (what I paid) and 120 euro (and takes a long waiting time too  )
Health & Insurance
700 nzd for a year (1cover)
Personal Spending
Not sure, it is so easy to spend money as amazing shops and so fourth.
But I didn’t spend a lot. I did fencing which my fees were about 1000nzd
but it was worth it as I got to fence with olympians and amazing coaches.
Communications
(phone, etc.)
With a smart phone I pretty much just lived off wifi, so didn’t spend a lot
on this, every now and then I put a 5 euro top up on my card.
At Luiss they do a three course meal for 3 euro, or a reduced meal for 2
euro. Really cheap. Food is cheap in italy (eating out can be more
expensive – depends where you go though!)
Other fees (specify)
What unexpected
costs did you
encounter? What
items were more
or less than
expected?
Getting my wallet stolen  having to buy things twice and replacing
things. Booking flights around the wrong way (multiple times haha).
However RYANAIR is amazing!! If you are in Europe! However very strict
with baggage allowances.
How did your financial expenses compare to what you originally expected to spend?
I expected to spend a lot more. I am not sure how much I spent in the end as not having accomodation costs
meant I could spend a lot more travelling!
By what means did you maintain your finances? What would you recommend? (Credit card, foreign bank
account, travelers checks, etc)?
I would recommend debit cards, maybe from 2 bank accounts. A credit card for emergencies but I would
leave it at home. (Mine got stolen then they went on to spend over 1000 on my card!!)
What financial advice would you give students attending the same university as you?
Don't spend all your money the moment you arrive. Budget and have allowance for unexpected things. But
also don't be too stingy with yourself that when you get home you regret not having done this and that.
Makes the most of travel experiences and things you can't do back home.
What was the average cost of a can of coke or coffee in your host country?
An espresso coffee about 1 euro, or a gelato about 2 euro. (never bought a can of coke) The euro is really
down at the moment though so everything is kind of cheap.
C: Visas & Insurance *Please note this information is recommended by VUW students & current at the time of their
exchange. For all up-to-date visa information you must check with the embassy/consulate of your host university.
Did you have to apply for a visa? If so, was it difficult? What was the process, how long did it take and how
much did it cost?
I got my visa in 2 days. The only thing is you need to have someone that is going to host you say they are
willing. However LUISS housing could probably help with this (I just got friends who live in Italia to do this
for me). Otherwise it was very straight forward.
Do you have any advice for future students when applying for visas to your host country?
DO it before assignments get in over your head.
Did your host university have a mandatory insurance? Or a particular insurance they recommended? If Yes,
what was it and how much did it cost?
I just had one cover insurance, a basic policy we had to have in order ot leave Vic.
What insurance company did you use and would you recommend it to future students?
1cover. Yes it was good- for $25 you can get a no excess fee.
D: Academics at Host University
Which courses did you take while on exchange? Please rate the difficulty of each course (1-5, 1 = Very Easy
& 5 = Extremely Difficult) and leave any comments you may have.
Course Title
Language of
VUW course
VUW
Instruction
equivalent or
points/credits
elective
value
Rating (1-5)
Comments
VUW Trimester 1/YEAR
Sociologia della
comunicazione
italian
MDIA 200
20
4
Really
good
lecturer
(SORICE), he spoke really
fast. But he was kind and
let me do some of my
exams
responding
in
english.
Teoria
della
comunicazone
italian
MDIA 300
20
5
Fun
couse.
Matthew
Hibberd flew in from
england every week. He
was a laugh. He was British
but spoke italian. Very easy
course. Enjoyable though.
Exams
were
written
instead of orale which was
nice.
Media Gender e
Politica
italian
MDIA306
20
5
Very political topics but
fun.
Included
presentations and 5000
word essay. Really enjoyed
it. Had fun doing a 20
minute presentation in
Italian.
Course Registration/Enrolment
Please describe the registration process at your host university. What kind of help was
available?
Well they explained them all to us at the orientation. I ended up doing 2 Masters courses but got
them transferred as 300 level here at Vic. They weren't too hard either.
How successful were you in registering/enrolling for classes you wanted? What advice would
you offer to next year's exchange students about registration at your host university?
Enroll in many and try them all out because you can always withdraw from them but you can't
always enrol in classes after a few days of class.
Do you have any advice for future students when choosing and applying for courses?
Try and get as many approved as possible. Take into account the mode of examination, i.e. oral,
presentation or written exams. Also you can ask home uni students about the professors and what
classes are worth following. Also make time for language courses as they are worth taking and free
of charge.
Academic Experience
How did your academic experience differ from your time spend at Victoria? Did the academic
experience meet your expectations?
Yes it was fun, the people and LUISS were so different though. The culture was so different. It is
a private uni, so for the richer people. Sometimes I felt a bit out of place there. But it really was
fun. And I met so so many amazing people.
How did the style of teaching at your host university compare with that at VUW? How did the
workload compare to what you would expect at VUW?
I was lucky to have one English teacher, who taught in a way very similar to here in NZ. The
teachers talk a lot though. My Italian teachers classes' were less interactive and pretty much just 3
hours of them talking, which I found hard to stay paying attention in. The workload felt easier,
maybe because their exams go over 3 months so you can take the same exam up to 3 times.
Taking the time/study workload off.
What would you recommend as an appropriate course load for other VUW students visiting your
partner university? What specific courses would you recommend to visiting VUW students?
Why?
I took 24 points plus 6 points of Italian course. However I only got the 24 points transferred into
60 pts here at Vic. Which I found ok! The work load was good. I would recommend, if you have
good Italian, to try and take some courses in the language. They may be lenient and let you write
your exams in English.
What advice would you give VUW students about succeeding academically at your host
university?
Study. In moderation. Leave time to study. Especially during the exam period. I didn't study a lot.
Just a few days before each exam and I found it fine. Enjoy your time. Go to class.
What was your impression of the computer facilities, library, and internet access at your host
university?
The computer facilities weren't as flash as here at VIC. They didn't have an abundance of
computers. Well there were a few computer suites, but not as many as here at VIC. Be prepared to
wait a little for a computer. Printing is free which is nice! (: The internet is also good! And I didn't
use the library. It is off campus. The main National Library in the city center of Rome is a lot
better.
If you went to a country where English is not the native language, how did you prepare for this?
Were there any intensive language courses provided by the host university?
They have an intensive language course at the beginning of September. It is about 40 hours. I
would also doing some study before hand. OR doing a language school in another city of Italy.
Such as Perugia or Siena. They both have well known and accredited languages schools.
E: Accommodation
What form of accommodation did you stay in?
I stayed with a family
What were the pros and cons of this form of accommodation?
Cons: Responsibility of having to wake up every week day at 7 am (hard if you want to go to the
Erasmus parties which all seem to be on week nights!). However it doesn't hurt having a bit of
responsibility! Pro: really cheap, didn’t pay food. Lots of fun and support being in a family. Just
really sweet to make such connections.
What accommodation would you recommend to future students?
Look around, think about what suits you etc. There are sites like 'easystanza.it' or
'easyroom.com' or easy(insert 'room' in native language here)' Many of my friends used this site
to find reliable rooms. Get a room near a metro station. Or near one of the campus's as there are
free shuttles that run every ten minutes between the campus'. A popular place is Piazza Bologna.
I lived in Viale Gorizia. Which was 2 minutes from 2 of the campus' and I could get the shuttle to
the main campus within 10 minutes.
How early can you move into accommodation?
I moved in at the beginning of September.
What options were available for meal plans or cooking facilities? How satisfied were you with
the food?
I didn't cook as I lived with a family and they cooked for me. But the food in Italy is amazing.
There are amazing cheap restaurants around too. Osteria's and Pizzaria's. take into account if
eating out really near the Luiss that it may be slightly expensive, as the area is a 'richer' area.
If you lived in off-campus housing, how easy was it to find? What should future VUW exchange
students know about living off-campus?
Yes it’s very easy. I found it much better not having a contract. As my friends with landlords had a
lot of problems in Rome! I sympathised for them! Google!
Do you have any tips of advice for future students when applying for accommodation?
Think! before you say yes! Don't commit too soon if you have doubts! ask questions! Ask for
references etc!
G: Personal & Cultural Connections
What was it like making friends? How successful were you at making friends with local (i.e., not
international) students?
It was harder. I found it slightly easier as my Italian sister from my last exchange studied there
and had just graduated. So many of her friends were still there, I had met many of them 3 years
back when they started. So that was nice. The locals all seem busy though. I would recommend
playing a sport or extracurricular activity in order to help this!
What was it like to adjust to the culture of your exchange country/university?
Uncomfortable. That is almost inevitable though. A good uncomfortable of course, all leads to
greater character in the end (I hope!)
What, if any, cultural differences did you find particularly challenging? How would you
recommend students to prepare for these differences?
The buses sometimes showing up late. Lecturers turning up. Not so much until I came back to NZ
and feel its ok to turn up to class 15 minutes late, when that is actually really awkward here.
What parts of the culture did you most appreciate?
Food! Family! Togetherness! Wine! pasta! Friends! Love! just such loving people! Funny chats
with the university staff! And the bus drivers! Random rides with policemen on scooters to the
station! ha!
How were you treated by local people? By university staff and faculty? By students?
Very well. I think I shocked them with my dress often! E.g. Jandals (They Italians believe jandals
belong in the changing room and the changing room only!
As far as you could tell, how easy would it be for students with disabilities to study at your
partner university? For students who are visible minorities in your host country? For students
who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered?
I don't see what problems there could be!
Did you face any issues regarding discrimination in your host country? What were they, and what
advice would you give to future students?
No. Apart from being expected to know and teach people the haka, if that counts.
H: Extra-curricular/Social Activities
What organized activities (clubs, sports, etc.) were available to students? What extra-curricular
activities would you recommend to future exchange students?
Many sport clubs at LUISS. The office is on Viale Gorizia where the (free) doctor is. Join them! I
did Pentathlon with a club, joined a swim club and a fencing team! (all these were spereate from
the university)
What do you recommend other visiting students see or do on their weekends or holidays?
I travelled around Europe almost every weekend! Travel! Use Ryanair! Book in advance! even if
you don't use them as they are so cheap in advance! I had a few tickets like Rome to Barcelona for
12 euro! crazy! I didn't use a few flights! But it was worth having the opportunity available when
the time came rather than waiting to the last minute! And travel round Italy! Book in Advance
with Trenitalia on the highspeed trains, as they are a lot cheaper if you book in advanced!
What opportunities were there for students to work on-campus? Off-campus?
I don't think I was legally allowed to work but my Au pair job (or babysitting) paid my rent and
food. Also it is very easy for native English speakers to get jobs tutoring English to children. I got
offered numerous jobs however I turned them down because just had to much on.
What volunteer or internship opportunities were there for students?
I didn't look around but I am aware there are many! would help to have Italian down!
5 things to take to your host country or region
1
2
3
4
5
Camera!
A smile!
Gifts for people! anything Allblacks or kiwi or hobbit! (even your lecturers when you finish)
A cook book! Be prepared to cook something kiwi. haha.
A safe bag. Things to protect from pickpockets (some of the worst things about Rome)
5 pieces of useful advice would tell a VUW student going to your host university
1
2
3
4
5
Be patient with yourself learning the language and encourage yourself!
Look after your health! e.g. eating well and sleep.
Don't worry! It will be ok!
Love people and they will treat you a lot better.
Don't get offended! Forgive! and realise they are different! don't jump to conclusions, it will lead to
misinterpretations!
Top 5 Things to do
1
2
3
4
5
What are your ‘Top 5 Things To Do’ future VUW students at your host university or city/country?
Cinque Terre: Portofino e PortoVenere in Summer! but you need a car for this!
Ancient Regata in Venice!
Rome! Ancient streets! Vatican! Spanish Steps! Colosseum! Just wondering around the streets is
amazing!!
Pizza in Naples (Pizzeria Da Michele is the famous one!) after a day at Pompei!
Florence!
I: Personal Experience
Please write one paragraph about your exchange experience. Plus, don’t forget to submit some
photos to the exchange office!!
I loved it! I want to go back! Time went so fast though! If I could go back again I would take a lot
more photos and just be more extreme in the things I do. I made some amazing connections and
friends that I will take with me where ever I go. I visited one of my friends just afterwards in
Israel and that was amazing. The fact that I now have friends in nearly every continent of the
world (minus Antartica) is mindblowing! I plan to visit many of them in this next year! I really
enjoyed the experience! It can't be put into words just how amazing it was! Perhaps my photos
can help explain some of it instead!