My name is Rachel, and I am spending the spring semester of my junior year at the University of Parma (Università degli Studi di Parma) here in Italy. I have been here since January and won't be home until June! I'm having a great time here in Italy, but I'm also realizing how different school, and life in general, is here.
For example, Allie talked about how many fewer hours students at the universities in England spend in class. Here in Italy it is the complete opposite. My classes at the University of Parma require six hours of lessons a week, as opposed to the three hours per week we spend in each class back at Boston College. However, at BC we always have homework or are preparing for an exam or paper. In Italy, students are given a required booklist, which they are expected to read on their own time. After classes end in May, they have a few weeks off to study. Then, it's an all-or-nothing shot with one exam. For me, coming from a school system where one's grade is determined by many factors, this idea is quite intimidating!
Another difference is that attendance at BC is certainly expected, and there is often a lot of class discusssion and involvement. Here in Italy this is not the case. Students are not required to come to class, although almost all do, and class time is for the professor to lecture. Class time is meant to give students the information they will need to pass their tests, not much more.
Although people say Italy, like the rest of western Europe, is very similar to the US, I don't see it this way at all. Life here in Italy is slower and less rushed. Shop owners take breaks in the middle of the day. Trains are not just a viable mode of transportation, but a very reliable and easy one. And having a cappuccino or espresso at an Italian bar is nothing like grabbing a coffee from Starbucks. Although this last one is maybe what I like most. The friends I have made from Parma and the University here are so much fun--and I learn so much each time we discuss Italian politics and our different ways of life over coffee, and they are incredibly patient as I stumble through the conversations in my imperfect Italian!
I'm enjoying my time here in Parma so much, and every day I feel so lucky to be here. I miss BC, but right now I'm thrilled to be in Italia! 'Till next time!
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