The Rome program is one of the highlights of the College of Design at Iowa State University, and it continues to hold a spotlight in the school’s programs. Since 1991, over 2,500 students have taken the incredible opportunity to have a semester in Rome, Italy.
The program consists of a full-semester option for graphic design, interior design, integrated studio arts and bachelor of arts students in the fall. Architecture, landscape architecture and community and regional planning are also available in the spring, plus an option for industrial design students in the summer. This allows for students of any primary design major to travel across the world in a way made easy by the university.
There is also a class that takes place the semester before the departure for Rome to teach students how to apply for the program and scholarships. The professors also answer any questions students may have. According to a handful of fourth-year ISU architecture students who are currently in Rome, the class was incredibly helpful and eased any anxiety about signing up for the program. Students are also able to choose who they live with, so there’s no need to worry about random room assignments unless, of course, meeting and living with new people sounds like the perfect addition to a Rome adventure.
Moving on to the program, it’s a very immersive and fantastic experience, according to Samantha Leeper, a fourth-year architecture student who is currently on her semester abroad.
“You’re a tourist here, but you’re also not; you’re a student,” Leeper said. “Because you’re here for such an extended time, you’re also at home… you’re scholars here more than lost in a city.”
She also noted that the food is amazing, but to be careful of tourist trap restaurants in the very center of the city. If you want real, authentic Italian food, her advice is not to be afraid to travel around Rome a little bit.
As for classes, one of Leeper’s favorite experiences so far has been drawing.
“Drawing’s been kind of the coolest thing so far,” Leeper said. “We walked through Rome, went to the Roman Forum. Basically looking at this crazy big historic landscape.”
Students are also allowed to travel outside of Italy. Leeper plans on traveling to France over the weekend, and the ticket only cost her $30. Though she says the teachers recommend you stay in the city to get to know it better, they leave the choice of travel up to the students. As long as one spends more time in the city than outside of it, Leeper assures you’ll do just fine. There’s also no need to worry about being behind since the basics for drawing are reviewed in the first half of the semester. For those who already know the basics, they can dive right into drawing these amazing landscapes and architectural masterpieces.
For the first half of the semester, students also take Italian. Though most of Rome’s citizens speak English, Leeper said that the class is helpful when going out to eat. As for the second half of the semester, students have their design studio, as well as either a history class about Rome, where you tour some incredible sites, or film urbanization, where students travel around towns in Rome.
All in all, this program has been recommended by both students and faculty alike and remains the flagship program for the College of Design here at Iowa State.
To learn more about the program and how to apply, click here.
