Participation in the mobility program is a "ticket to adulthood"
University
LUISS is a private university, which is located almost in the center of the city in amazing places. It consists of several campuses, but I studied only at Viale Romania (right next to the huge Villa Ada park). The university is very modern, although some of the buildings are churches built several centuries ago. Everything is clean inside, there are a lot of classrooms and coworking places to study. My recommendation: Matroneo, Luiss LOFT (for deep studies) and Luiss Language Cafe (for rest).
The campuses have great canteens and water fountains, employees and staff will always help you. LUISS is a very international university, so almost everyone knows English and there are a lot of foreign students.
Study
I really enjoyed studying at LUISS, although I wanted it to be a little more intense and more complicated. Here you will definitely have time for everything else besides studying, so this is a huge benefit for many people. However, the professors are all very cool, and it's interesting to study. There is a lot of group projects in which you will have to work with different students: both local and foreign. Exams are not very difficult, and assignments during study mostly take place during school hours, therefore, at home you need to do only big projects (but for several weeks) and read.
A great point of LUISS is that you can choose both master's and bachelor's disciplines, even if you are doing your bachelor. Its complexity does not differ, but you can find interesting courses (but it is better to check the program description in advance so that it is not mandatory to have initial knowledge).
I had mainly disciplines related to marketing, and I can say that everything is repeated on practice and even it is possible to work with real companies. For example, we did a whole marketing campaign to promote a new service from Poste Italiane (it's like Russian Post in Italy).
The last study day at the Luiss University in Rome
Life in Rome
Please do not think that it is warm in Italy in winter: this is a delusion! Despite the fact that the temperature does not fall below 4 degrees, do not expect more than 20 degrees indoors. The normal temperature here in the apartments in winter is 18 degrees! Due to the high humidity, even in March and April it was quite cool, so take warm clothes with you: ugg boots, scarves, wool sweaters and jackets. In general, the climate here is not mild: the cold weather has changed to 30-degree heat in 1-2 weeks, and it has become impossible to go outside. Be prepared for this and take different clothes.
Everyone loves Italian food, but it didn't seem great to me. I expected seafood at low prices and berries in January, but it turned out that there are more meat dishes in Rome, and berries appear only in May. If you are a pasta lover, then you will definitely enjoy going to restaurants here. But if you don't, like me, then you won't buy anything else for a normal price in cafes and restaurants. There are almost no salads on the menu, and all fish and meat are very expensive. But! The ice cream here is just great and you can enjoy it all year ;)
Prices for living are slightly higher than in Moscow, but not so much in terms of food. Transport is quite expensive, but I advise you to use sharing scooters and bicycles, because buses and subways work here in the Italian manner: without schedule and with strikes of workers once a month;) But traveling in Italy is quite affordable, even if you have a limited budget. The trains are very comfortable and there are a huge number of them. Intercity buses are also a great option for travel on budget. In 5 months I have been to Venice, Verona, Florence, Milan, Lake Como, Positano on the Amalfi coast, Cinque Terre, Naples, Pisa, Portofino and Apulia. Italy is a very diverse country where you can visit several geographical zones, see magnificent landscapes, swim in the clear sea and explore traditions.
Italy is the queen of bureaucracy, much “more fun” than in Russia, so be ready to be getting a permit of stay for six months.
By the way, it is possible to live in Italy without knowing the language, because you communicate here mainly with friends in English. But I tried to learn the language, and now I can read well, explain myself in simple dialogues and understand speech. But by itself it will not work, you need to invest time and energy.
Rome for me is a museum city, where it often stinks, a lot of garbage, but magnificent streets and architecture. I would not be able to live here for a long time, Milan is closer to me in spirit, for example, but many of my friends fell in love with the capital. Here you will pass by the Pantheon to go to the bar and watch the Champions League; for the 5th time you will stop taking pictures of the Trevi Fountain, and gelato will become your normal snack during the day!
Exchange life
When you come for an exchange, you get into a community of international students. The approach of all Erasmus students is this: you need to get as many memories as possible and go to all the parties. I'm not a party animal and I don't drink alcohol, so I was only at a few night events. Despite this, I met many lovely people from all over the world and was happy to learn the peculiarities of other cultures.
Tip: in the very first days of arrival, try to join the community of exchange students by attending welcome week, meeting students for a walk or in a restaurant, getting to know everyone. So you will not be left alone and from the very beginning you will find a company, because it is a little more difficult to do it after. Go to a maximum of events throughout the semester (there are a lot of them here, the main thing is to be a member of all online groups), even if you are shy. No one will judge you here, enjoy the moments and meet new people! Now I have friends from Georgia, Belgium, France, Italy, Slovakia, Poland, Ireland, Austria, the Netherlands, Greece and Norway!
Conclusion
For me, this mobility is the important stage of life, during which I have matured quite a lot. For me, an introverted home girl who does not like noisy companies and panics from some minor scrapes, this experience became a “ticket to adulthood”: I have become more confident, social, flexible, and, most importantly, I learned a lot about myself, or rather realized that I had not previously noticed.
I can say I'm glad to be back home, but this trip has become the start in many areas for me: I am already looking for internships in Europe, planning my trips to new friends, thinking about a career and further studies. A lot has become clear to me, and something has changed a lot, something has become obvious, and something, on the contrary, has become even more confused. But the mobility program is something you will never regret doing, and LUISS and Italy will make your experience definitely special!