November 18, 2010
Last spring I was fortunate enough to be able to study halfway across the world in the beautiful and historic city of Rome, Italy. Studying abroad had always been a dream of mine, but being an education major and a transfer student, this dream of mine was becoming less possible.
However, when my boyfriend, Dustin Tenney, told me he was looking into John Cabot University (JCU) in Rome and that I should too, I began to look into my options.
JCU seemed flawless. They advertise themselves on their website as an “American University in the Heart of Rome.” I worked out a plan with my advisor to take the rest of my general education classes in Italy and still be able to graduate on time! I was overwhelmed with excitement to know that my dream was actually coming true!
Leading up to my departure in January, I was not really sure of what to expect. I felt as though I was prepared for anything. With my boyfriend at my side we departed on one of the most unforgettable journeys of our lives.
Rome was more amazing than I can put into words. Living among the Romans and doing life their way was more of a learning experience then I could have ever imagined. Having the historical monuments to gaze upon at a moment’s notice was like living in the history books.
Unfortunately, when it came to JCU, I was not as impressed with the academics. I think coming from Oklahoma Baptist University, I sometimes take for granted the quality and freedom of education I receive. Honestly, the school was more of a joke than anything else.
I took a class called English Composition II, but really it should have been Introduction to the English Language 101. I was the only fluent English-speaking student in the class. We learned parts of speech and what cliché’s where. Once in while there were papers to write, but overall the academics were not challenging.
I was very disappointed with the faculty as well. The professors did not have a passion for their subject or for their students. It was a job. In addition, the buildings were less then up to standards. Advertizing themselves as an American university is more a disgrace to the US than anything else. The way they treated students was almost disturbing. They had a lack of resources, space and respect.
Even though nothing went how I expected I would not trade my experience for anything. If I were to do it again I might have done more research into JCU, but that experience has made me appreciate OBU all the more.
We truly are blessed to have professors who care and love us in and out of the classroom, and who love their job! We are blessed to have such a beautiful campus and we are blessed to have the OBU community. Rome was beautiful and indescribable, but I wouldn’t trade OBU for the world.
