Experience report
Name: Carly Mendelewski
E-mail: c.e.mendelewski@tilburguniversity.edu
Exchange semester: spring semester
Academic year: 2014/2015
Host University: LUISS GUIDO CARLI
Country: Italy
Dear readers,
I hope I can offer you a good and broad list of information with my short summary of my exchange
experience in the most beautiful city there is, ROME.
I will start with my first couple of weeks, which was of course very exciting because everything was
new. The country, the people, the language, the not usual Italian dinnertime and of course the
delicious Italian food. This all you will experience as well.
I had planned to leave home a week earlier before my classes would start, so I could discover Rome
first. I had never been to Rome before and I wanted to be a tourist first and see everything. If you
have never been to Rome, a good tip of advice is to bring good shoes for long distances. I brought my
flat all stars and after a couple of days my feet couldn’t bear it anymore so I had to buy new shoes,
not that that was such a big problem.
When I had to choose my destination for exchange I started to compare the different countries, the
winner was of course Italy. I love the country and its people, and now after my exchange I love it even
more! Then of course I chose Rome as my city, the best choice ever in my opinion! Rome is so
beautiful, so big and with its own history. You can walk there every day and you will discover new
things every time you walk through this beautiful city. I gained a lot of information from Tilburg
University and I did a lot of research about LUISS before I departed. But the exchange coordinator
from LUISS is so kind, do not hesitate to contact them! They will be very glad to offer any help you
need!
I planned to leave together with Fleur and Sara, two other girls from Tilburg University. It was nice to
leave with them instead of alone, because to leave everything back in the Netherlands was not the
easiest thing I had to do. So after I said goodbye to everyone, it was nice to have them next to me.
We arrived in Rome in the evening, around dinnertime in Italian style. We took the cab with the four of
us from Ciampino Airport, although the most of the Italian people are very kind, the cab drivers always
try to ask for more money than necessary. On the side of the cab you can find the price list! They
have to ask for that amount and maybe a bit more when you live outside of the center. But we had to
pay 30 or 40 euros more than average.
After that, we arrived at our apartment where we met our landlord for the very first time. He was very
nice and showed us our place where we would stay for the next upcoming 5,5 months.
Our apartment was very big, and we were living with four girls together. There were two bathrooms
and we had a large kitchen to share, we even had a terrace and a balcony which was really nice! The
average rent you pay is around 550 euro per month, in Italy there is a weird system with a sort of
service costs (water/gas/electricity) this is most of the time excluded. Find your room near the
universities, it is much more convenient than having a room in the center. Almost all of the students
are living in the same neighborhood (Piazza Bologna/Piazza Istria), and it is really nice to live close to
them so that you can easily reach them any time of the day!
For the transport you have to reload your metro card every first day of the month, it is 35 euros and
then you can use unlimited metro, bus and tram. The groceries are a little bit more expensive than
back in the Netherlands and also to go out and party is much more expensive! Before we went out we
had a pre-drink with the rest that wanted to go out and after that you will go to the clubs, I never drank
that much when I went out, it was not really necessary after such a pre-drink! The clubs are really
nice, and the most of the time you get some free drinks when you pay the entrance!
After my first week of discovering Rome it was time to go to the university for the information event
and the start of the welcome week. I was so amazed by seeing this university, it was so beautiful and
so big. The University has three main buildings, the faculty of economics, the law faculty and the
faculty of political sciences. All three buildings have their own history, so does almost every building in
Rome. For example, the law faculty was back in the days an hospital and at the business faculty they
build the church into a study room.
Between the different buildings of the University there was a shuttle bus that offered you to go from
the one faculty to another. But don’t forget your LUISS card, you have to show it before you can get
in. Also when it rains, not that often, there is a very big line! I lived near the law faculty, so I hardly
used the shuttle bus, but sometimes it can be very convenient!
The courses I followed where all given at the Law faculty of LUISS. I chose for the more European
and international courses and tried to choose the best courses that would fit in my bachelor and would
be a good preparation for my master.
Course
European Criminal law
European
administrative law
International private
law
Public comparative
law
Prerequisites
None
None
Exam
Oral
Oral
ECTS
6
6
None
Oral
6
None
Written
6
The introduction week of organized by ESN Roma was a good start to get to know all the other
Erasmus students, we had a full week planned by the ESN staff. Every day we had a lot of activities
and we also had our first trip with ESN to the cities Verona, Padova and Venice. We did a lot of
sightseeing and in the evening we had dinner with everyone and after that of course the parties.
The whole semester ESN organized a lot of fun stuff, we did a pubquiz, beerpong, international dinner
and interesting city tours. I got to know amazing people and I have been travelling with them as well,
they now became really good friends!
Because Italy is a very large country with numerous beautiful cities, I would recommend you to travel
a lot! To travel is not that expensive, with the train from Termini you can easily reach the most
beautiful places and if you book a Hostel you do not have to spend that much on travelling and stay. I
have been to the Amalfi Coast and we did a little tour by ourselves through the cities of Sorrento,
Positano and Amalfi. I have been visiting our dear Italian friend in Trani, Puglia. Her parents were so
kind to invite us to their home where we could stay a couple of days. They were the typical Italian
parents, so hospitable and they had every day a big lunch prepared for us. I travelled with a group of
ESN people to Sicily, where we climbed the only living volcano in Europe (the Etna) and did some
sightseeing in Palermo and Catania.
The difference in culture between the Netherlands and Italy is not that big, but there are some
differences that are very remarkable. First I think the admiration for the church and the pope, a lot of
Italian people are going to church and are very religious. In the Netherlands it’s almost the opposite.
Second of course the dinnertimes and the sort of food. For breakfast the Italian people eat something
small, for lunch they have a warm meal and in the evening they do sometimes an aperitivo or primi
piatti and secondi piatti. So in the beginning I was very hungry all the time because we had to wait
until very late before we could start with our dinner, but after sometime you get used to that! I think
these are the two main differences, there are for sure small differences between the two countries but
it is not cultural shocking, at least I didn’t feel that way.
I think that everyone says that going on exchange is the best time of your life. But I can assure you
that it is seriously the best time. I did so many great things, met amazing people from all over the
world and became a lot more independent. You are there for yourself, away from everyone that
normally is around you all the time and now you are all on your own. But this is maybe the best part,
you get to know yourself and every single one of the exchange people are experiencing the same
thing so you get more close to them as well. I made a lot of friends from all over the world and I know
that our pads will cross at some point again. Also the best thing of this experience was to get to know
other cultures, their way of living and thinking. And I learned about Italy itself as well, we had a special
cook that learned us everything about Italian food, wines and the language.
Are you still doubting? Don’t! I think Rome is the best place for your exchange experience, you don’t
want to miss the opportunity to go on exchange!
If you have any question about Rome, the university, renting a room or something else you really
want to know, feel free to contact me! I will be very pleased if I can help you with making your choice
to go to Rome.
With kind regards,
Carly Mendelewski