I've always wanted to study abroad, it's been a dream since before starting college. I also knew that I wanted to study something in architecture or engineering. So when I heard about the Math in Rome program I knew that I had to apply, I could not let the opportunity pass me by.
It was the most amazing experience in all aspects. I studied engineering aspects of amazing structures, traveled all over Italy, tasted so many different foods, made an amazing group of friends, ate ate and ate some more gelato!!!
It was really cool to be able to study great monuments like the Colosseum, the leaning tower of Pisa, the aqueducts, the Pantheon and the Duomos. Not only did we learn the fundamental concepts that were used for the construction of these great structures but our lab was to go to the site and analyze them. Where else can you do that?
Living in Rome is an amazing experience; being able to catch a bus and go see the Colosseum or the Pantheon whenever you feel like it, even better!
Traveling is something that everyone enjoys doing, it's even better when you do it with friends. At the beginning of the program I didn't really know anyone, but by the end of the trip I was friends with everyone. We went from being strangers to being great friends in a matter of days. Living together, taking the bus and having class together, shopping and getting around, all of these things really bring a bunch together. Becoming friends really made all the trips much more fun.
 Food tasting was one of the greatest touches to the program. Who knew you could have pasta in so many different ways; thinking back, wild boar and squid ink pasta were two of the most exotic things I had. After going to Italy I learned a lot of things about the monuments and the culture, I also learned that there is definitely no such thing as too much pizza or too much gelato or too much coffee ... never. Italians drink coffee like there is no tomorrow.* * *
If you are thinking about this program, there is nothing negative I can say about it. All I would say is, Go for it!
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You will enjoy walking down Via del Corso window shopping with a gelato in your hand. You will enjoy getting together with your new friends and making a trip to an Italian market, and then making a delicious all-Italian dinner. You will love getting together to take a sunday trip to the beach. You will especially enjoy going out on your own and exploring the city, the people, the culture and feeling amazed of where you are.
Sure being in another country is scary, very scary, but not impossible. I was freaking out about not knowing anyone and not being in a place where I can be understood and not having enough money. I was able to survive on around 450 euros (about $675). This was really hard but not impossible, I bought groceries instead of eating out as much as possible. I also did not go crazy shopping at every store, I did window shopping, which is almost as good! I did everything that was free! The program is already packed with trips to Venice, Florence, Pisa and all over Rome so I didn't have to worry about not getting out as much. Although I wasn't able to, many of my friends traveled outside of Rome and outside of Italy on weekend trips, which if you can afford I recommend. You will already be in Europe so you might as well travel.
I took a year of Italian so I did something called an "Interscambio" in which I was paired up with an Italian person learning English. My person showed me around Rome and gave me a Roman citizen perspective to the city. I was able to go have a good time with new Italian friends and practice Italian.
Our professor was the best. In my time at UCSD I have never gotten so personal with a professor as I did with professor Pasquale. Not only was he extremely knowledgeable about everything that he taught, but he also knew the best pizzerias and the best gelaterias in Rome and in Florence. On top of that he was super cool, he made the class a fun and very relaxed learning place. He was very understanding of the fact that we were in another country and wanted to explore, so HW was not that bad. He knew a lot about the history of all the sites we visited, not only about the engineering aspects of the monuments. And even though he was on crutches he was up for a game of frisbee and pizza at the park. He is one of the coolest professors I've met, and the best qualified to teach this program
You will have an amazing experience with the Math in Rome program. DO IT!!! Isai is a junior at UCSD (Marshall College) studying structural engineering. He participated in Math in Rome 09. |
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