Month: October 2017

Costs of Study Abroad? Not as much as you imagine

Costs of Study Abroad? Not as much as you imagine

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I’m studying abroad for two semesters. The thought of that alone might make people (including me, to be quite honest) shudder for their wallets. I know, I know – “if you’re clasping your wallet so tight, why are you doing it, then?”

Well, for a variety of reasons. First, I believe in the power of experiences. I would be spending a lot of money back in Chicago, too, but here I have the unique ability to be surrounded by so much incredible art and history and culture, that even if I never left Rome for trips every weekend (which I don’t), I’d still have the adventure of a lifetime. Second, through Loyola, since it is our campus – tuition-wise, it costs the same as Chicago. Why not study within walking distance of the Vatican? And third… scholarships.

Loyola offers a lot of scholarships, merit-based, need-based, for research and for involvement. I was able to get my flights here and back included in my Ricci research scholarship, which helped a lot since those can get pretty pricey. The Rome Center itself offers scholarships for current students – called the Forza Roma scholarship, they have a fund set aside to give money to students who require it, and all you have to do is present them with a plan of how you will spend that money, and they decide whether or not to give it to you. For students with less spending ability than others, this scholarship has often meant a thrilling out-of-country weekend that they wouldn’t have been able to do without it. Plus, there are a lot more scholarships through Loyola and third party organizations.

But Jessi, you might ask. Is not living in Rome inherently expensive? The restaurants with raised prices that prey on tourists? The museum entrance fees? Transportation?

No. Firmly and solidly.

In Chicago, students are given an unlimited U-Pass for transportation, the cost of which is included in tuition. Here, you can choose to buy one-time use bus tickets, or a monthly pass for just 35 euro (that’s 24 rides on the bus, the metro, or the regional train to make it worth it, and I assure you I finish 24 rides within two weeks or less. Plus, far better to pay that than the 200 euro fine if you’re caught without a ticket. But 35 euros adds up to about 40 usd, which is about two weeks’ worth of groceries in Chicago. And I’m not buying groceries here, since we have a cafeteria and cafe available to us (and no kitchen). And if you don’t want to take public transportation, it’s not a necessity like it is in Chicago. There have been days I have walked to the Pantheon and back, without problems. Rome is a safe city, and most everything is in walking distance. If it’s called ‘not in walking distance’, that just means that it takes a while to get there on foot, not that you can’t do it at all. It’s not advisable to walk the nine or so miles from the Lake Shore Campus to the Water Tower Campus.

As for food, like I said: we have a cafeteria and cafe on campus. But we also live in a residential neighborhood, where you can get good Chinese food for 3 euros, or about 3.5 usd. You can find cacio e pepe or carbonara for 5 euros, two traditionally Roman dishes. And museums, even the most costly ones, are free the first Sunday of every month!

There are multitudes of ways to save money, at home or abroad. I particularly save money on water by carrying a reusable water bottle around – restaurants charge for water, but there are hundreds of free water fountains around the city with safe-to-drink water. The university provides sack lunches for free on the weekend, whether or not you’re travelling, so you can take that to go and save a meal, and they always offer fresh fruits that can be kept for a snack later, instead of purchasing sweets or fruit from a fruit vendor. And, like I said, walking places.

There are students here who spend their money freely, without an eye on a budget, and there are students who live with tightly-controlled wallets, out of desire to and out of necessity. It’s up to you to how you will be, but it’s absolutely possible to be here and not burn holes through your pockets. Italy is mostly a cash culture, too, so that is certainly helping me save – I can’t buy anything over 5 euros if I only have 5 euros!

Meals here typically range from 5-8 euros, if you’re smart and seeking a cheaper – but nonetheless still delicious meal. I promise you, no matter the cost, I have not yet had a bad food experience here. You can find somewhere with plates that are 20 euros, and it will be just as good as something you can find for 9. (Maybe better, but seriously. The cheaper does not mean the worse here. It’s Italy!)

I don’t know yet about China, but from what I hear, most meals range between 1-5 usd. The food is cheaper there, as you may or may not expect. Italy also doesn’t really do ‘street food’ like in China or America, but that’s just as well. The culture here is sitting down, enjoying a meal, and with the full awareness it could last for hours.

If you have any questions about the finances of studying abroad, just ask! I’d be happy to talk more about it. It’s totally doable, and I encourage everyone who is even thinking about studying abroad to do it. Take the leap! It’s an experience of a lifetime.

John Felice Rome Center Campus – curious?

John Felice Rome Center Campus – curious?

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Many people, when talking about the study abroad experience, like to focus on the dream world of travel that you can do. Places to see, people to meet, things to eat, and on and on. It was interesting for me, then, when I was doing research and preparations to come here, that I did not hear or read much about the Rome Center Campus itself. Our Office of International Programming sells study abroad just fine, and it is wonderful. But there’s a lot of mention about the community and opportunity here, not much about the buildings.

 

Or rather, building. JFRC, or J-Force, as we call it, is one massive structure with lots of shooting-off wings and many floors that show just how old of a past it has. The cafeteria is right next to the gym, the library is just above the cafe, and from some classrooms you can look out and see the staff parking lot. I live in a residential wing that used to be the infirmary ward, right above the refurbished administrative wing. The doctor’s office is still connected to it, so I wouldn’t have to go far if I ever needed anything. And across from my room is a new wing taking shape, apparently going to be the space of new student lounges and more office space for professors. It seems a little confusing, and goodness knows it took me a couple days to get the hang of it! Luckily, every floor is connected by a central staircase.

The lowest floor has only the gym, the cafe, and the cafeteria. The cafeteria, or mensa as we call it, is wide, spacious, can fit most if not all of the JFRC students and staff, and has a patio – as does the cafe, Rinaldo’s Bar. I haven’t yet asked who Rinaldo was, or is. The gym is nothing like our Halas at Lake Shore Campus, but it does the job. It has two treadmills, two ellipticals, a bike, weights and some weight machines, and floor-length mirrors, as well as yoga mats. And, just like on Lake Shore Campus, there are weekly exercise classes!

The second floor is one of the newest, at least from what I am guessing due to the interior. It has the IC/library, which used to be the chapel (the initial building was a convent), six standard classrooms and some other large multi-purpose rooms. The campus seems big, but you can walk end-to-end on the second floor in about two minutes if you are a very, very slow walker. The third floor has the porter’s desk, where our campus security works. But you can also buy bus tickets, hail taxis, and chat with the porters there as well. It’s also where the only entrance to the campus is, and it links the mailroom, the business office, the bookstore, the professor’s offices, older classrooms, and the administrative wing like spokes on a wheel. And above that is four stories of residential area! Some lounges too, of course.

The rooms themselves are a bit older, but they could be so much worse. Students who lived in some Lake Shore Campus dorms like San Francisco or de Nobili may find them more lacking that students with experience in say, Mertz or Campion, but by no means are these rooms shipping crates. All the beds are bunkbeds, built into the walls so you don’t have a choice, and the bathrooms are either suite-style or communal, but all rooms have a sink inside them. Plus, everyone has a closet, drying rack, bookshelf, mini-fridge, and desk (and chair, of course). It’s plenty of room – but there’s no need to worry about bringing extra furniture or anything. After all, who has room in their luggage? Just like many a college dorm, the walls are quite thin. That’s the universal college experience.

 (Pardon the mess – this is about 1/4 the room. The other 3/4 is a ‘little’ cluttered.)

Aside from the building, JFRC has grounds, too. There’s an olive grove that my Food and Wine class may harvest sometime soon, and cats roam beneath the branches. Some of them are Dr. Nicholson’s cats, one of the professors here who has been with the Rome Center since the very beginning. Others just kind of appear. We have a running joke that all of them are in fact the same cat, Sparky, who just takes the forms of many and moves so fast it looks like two or more cats laying about. The campus is down the end of a driveway that leads only to us and a nearby monastery, so at the end of it at night there is a gate locked to outsiders and a security guard stationed there. There’s also some winding paths with benches and sculptures to admire.

 

Some people say that living at JFRC is living in a bubble – it’s very easy to never leave except on the weekends of adventure! It’s certainly something the magic of Rome itself works against, luckily for me.

Explore Chicago CTA Edition

Explore Chicago CTA Edition

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This is Loyola. Doors open on the left at Loyola. Welcome aboard the CTA Red Line. For this school year, 2017-2018, I want to take all of you on a journey on the CTA Red Line. For those of you not from Chicago or familiar with the CTA, I am going to give you a quick history of the Chicago Transit Authority, specifically, the Chicago “L”.

Fun Facts and Quick Statistics:

  • The CTA system is the second busiest transit system and the fourth longest system in the United States. It is also the second oldest mass rapid transit system in North and South America, after the one in New York City.
  • The El itself is over 102.8 miles long with over 8 differently colored lines (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, and pink line trains) with over 145 stations
  • On a typical weekday (Monday-Friday), over 752,734 passengers ride on the El
  • The oldest part of the El system commenced service in 1892
  • The CTA’s Blue and Red line are two of the five lines in the United States that offer 24 hour services at all times
  • There are several ethnic neighborhoods that surround the El lines: Pilsen (Hispanic neighborhood), Argyle (Little Vietnam), Devon (a mix of Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Jewish neighborhoods) Chinatown, Ukrainian Village, Greek Town and more!

What do I need?:

  • All you need is your Ventra Card (which operates through the academic school year) to scan into CTA El stations and CTA buses)

What Am I Going to do to Help You?:

  • Every other week, starting on October 10th (next week), I will be taking you on a CTA trip up the Red Line. At each stop, I will share with you some popular restaurants, attractions, bookstores, boutiques, and so much more! Here is the stops that I will be taking during our trip:
  • October 10: Cermak-Chinatown
  • October 24: Jackson and State
  • November 7: Lake
  • November 28: Chicago and State
  • January 23: Fullerton
  • February 6: Belmont
  • February 20: Addison
  • March 13: Argyle
  • March 27: Granville
  • April 10: Morse
  • April 24: Howard

So welcome aboard the CTA Red Line and welcome to Chicago!