Student Report
Luiss Guido Carli – Fall 2013
I. PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before leaving Norway
When we got our acceptance letter we also got some applications forms, both for Italian
language course and housing facilities. You could apply for a room in an apartment through
an agency called CTS that LUISS cooperate with. LUISS also want you to send a list of
courses you would like to take before you leave, but the final list of courses available are not
ready before the semester starts, so this list is not binding.
We also received a “welcome package” before leaving Norway. It contained all required
information about Rome, the school, and a check-list of what you had to do before you arrive
Rome, and also what you have to bring the first day of school.
Applying for a visa (if applicable)
You do not need any visa for going to Italy. However most students will need an Italian fiscal
code in order to rent an apartment, reserve tickets online etc. This is an identity number and
can be obtained from any Codice Fiscale office in Rome, not just the one mentioned in the
information package. Bring your passport and acceptance letter from the university.
Travel
There are two airports in Rome, Fiumincino (Norwegian and SAS), and Ciampino (Ryan air).
I arrived at Fiumincino. The taxis have a fixed rate of 50 euros to the city center. You can also
get to the center by train or bus. The bus is the cheapest option, it costs around 5 euros oneway. You can either buy the ticket at the airport or on the bus. You do not get to know the
dates for your exams before in the middle of November, so it is recommended to wait with
booking the flight back home.
Housing
LUISS has a University Residence, but this is not open to exchange students. However, the
organization CTS takes care of private accommodation for students. Most of the exchange
students live in private apartments with Italian or international students. If you want to live
alone, you can find an apartment through the different websites mentioned in the information
letter, I found mine through www.immobiliare.it. Through this page I got in contact with a
real estate agent, and he was quite professional and spoke English well. However, it is
recommended to travel to Rome in advance of your stay to see some apartments before you
make your decision. The pictures can be very different from the reality, and you can never be
really sure about what you are getting to.
The school is outside the city center in a nice residential area called Parioli. When finding an
apartment you have to take into consideration if you want to stay close to the city center, or
close to the school.
Costs
I payed 800 euros per month in rent, but if you decide to live with other students you can find
cheaper apartments. Most students pay around 500 euros. We did not buy a lot of books, most
exams are based on slides and what the professor says in class. Food in the supermarket is
much cheaper than in Norway, and it is also cheaper to eat at restaurants. You can buy a
monthly card for public transportation that costs 35 euros. We bought an Italian sim-card from
Wind, and pay 7 euros per month, that includes 300 sms, 300 minutes and 2 GB internet.
Culture and language
We did not have any particular language problems with the students who attended courses in
English. However, most of the students at Luiss are studying in Italian and their English can
be variable. We found Italian boys more eager to show of their English compared to Italian
girls, who can be a bit shy of their English. The biggest language problems we faced where
when we tried to get guidelines by the security guards. Some of them can’t speak a word of
English.
Italians are friendly and chatty people that are easy to get in touch with. They have several
“ways of life” that might be new to Norwegians, but you will soon adapt and understand their
culture. In particular, Italians appreciate small talk much more than Norwegians and their
personal space is much smaller. Additionally, Italians have a much looser relationship with
time.
It is recommended and cheap to travel around in Italy, either by renting a car, or flying if the
distance is further. From Rome, you can take high speed trains to other big cities like Firenze
at a low cost. You can also find cheap flight tickets if you want to spend a weekend in Sicily
or other places further away.
II. ABOUT THE SCHOOL
LUISS Guido Carli is a relatively new private school founded in 1974. They have four
departments: Economic and Finance, Business and Management, Law, and Political Science.
With approximately 8000 students, it is small compared to other schools in Rome. Luiss have
several campuses: Economics and Social Science Campus, Law Campus and LUISS
university Headquarters, where the MBA programs take place.
LUISS has a good network with the business environment. They have regular guest
presentations and networking, but mainly in Italian.
The campuses are located in a nice are of Rome close to green areas. The buildings are
historical, but due to renovation the facilities are modern.
The study structure is pretty similar to that of BI. The amount of credits per course is mostly
the same, also the duration of courses and number of lectures are similar.
Besides some computer rooms, most of the rooms at the school are meant for lectures.
Therefore it may be hard to find dedicated study place. It is not uncommon to see other
students studying in class rooms between lectures. The school has few study rooms where you
can study without being interrupted, but these are mostly occupied all the time.
Course registration
You register for courses when you start the semester by handing in an enrolment paper at the
student office. You need to choose these courses after the first week, but you can register for
more courses than you need and just try them out for about two weeks. After two weeks have
passed you can drop courses after originally adding them to your course load. Luiss also have
a system called “web-self service”, that is an online registration system where you have to
register for your exams in the middle of the semester. The examination system is very
different than in Norway, so make sure that you have registered for all your needed
examination dates.
Academic calendar
Arrival date:
First day of the semester:
Last day of classes:
Examination period:
4th of September
16th of September
7th of December
9th – 20th of December
Arrival
The introduction week started off with an information meeting at the school. Then we had the
opportunity to sign up for a welcome week with ESN, that arranged a lot of social activities
the first week and also through the semester.
The week after introduction week and before the semester starts, you can sign up for an Italian
crash course. This is an intensive course that lasts for a week, but I found it very good, and
learned basic Italian that I could use in daily life.
The International Office
We were handed a comprehensive info package at the day of arrival which provided us with
the information we needed. It was easy to get in touch with the International Office for
additional information.
Promoting BI and Norway
We were not involved in a any specific activities to promote exchange in Norway. However,
we spoke warmly about the possibility to other student and tried to be good ambassadors for
BI and Norway.
Social activities
The relationship with native students was good, but we socialized mainly with other exchange
student. The social environment between the exchange students was fantastic and everyone
felt very included.
ESN LUISS, the group for Erasmus students organized a welcome week with several
interesting activities and continued to host parties and organized trips during the semester.
The possibility to participate in sport activities were not great and consisted mostly of
unofficial football gatherings.
III. ACADEMICS
In the classroom
The lectures were mostly theoretical, but provided many practical examples, cases and
studies. Students would go in and out of the classroom as they pleased. Talking among
students during class was not uncommon, but depended on the professor.
The level and workload were very similar to that of BI, but mostly a bit easier. Grading on
assignments and presentations were much looser.
Course materials
Course materials consisted of one or two books, online articles, Powerpoint and cases. The
total amount of course material was similar to that of BI, but individual importance was
different. Most of the importance fell on the Powerpoint presentations.
Exams
Exams were mostly based on lectures, which in turn were mostly based on the Powerpoint
presentations. Final exam could include forms like written, oral, home assignment,
presentation, etc., there is individual differences between courses. Normally courses are a mix
of an oral exam and home assignments/presentations. However, some courses only had a
written exam with an optional oral exam. None of our courses had a mid-term exam, but some
had in-class quizzes throughout semester. One of our courses had a several group assignments
during the semester. Class attendance was mandatory on paper, but no class attendance was
recorded, this really depends on your professor. Some courses encouraged to class discussion
and debate, and one of our courses had a dedicated blogg were students could debate articles.
The grading system is totally different than we are used to, and Luiss has a different system
than the rest of Italy as well.
Library and technology
LUISS has a big library located in the Law Campus.
The technology was pretty ordinary by Norwegian standards. Computer rooms consisted of a
good amount of computers and a fast printer.
Description of courses
Course code & name
Exam form
Prerequisites
Management
Master/
Bachelor
Bachelor
Approved
as
Strategic
course
2 hour written
exam + short
oral exam
None
Money & banking
Bachelor
2 hour written
exam
Economic
Course
Luxury Management
Master
2 hour written
exam
Basic microand
macroeconomi
cs
None
Italian language
Bachelor
2 hour written
None
Elective
Elective
Comments
Not
challenging
, relevant
course.
Relevant
course.
Good
professor.
Interesting,
practical
course with
good
professors
from the
industry.
Can choose
course
Emerging markets
exam
Master
1 hour written
exam
Macroeconomi
cs and
microeconomi
cs; basic
notions of
mathematics
Elective
between
three
different
levels, not
very
challenging
.
Professor
has massive
amounts of
knowledge,
but is bad
at teaching
it away.
On a final note, how will you sum up the exchange experience?
The exchange experience has been fantastic from a cultural and social point of view. The city
of Rome is a great place to spend a semester as you need a lot of time to experience it. People
were very including, warm and open-minded, and we have made friends from all over the
world.
From an academic point of view, it has been useful to study in a country were conditions are
worse than in Norway. We believe our experience will give us an advantage in our future
careers.