About the UARC

Some main information about our program

Applications and Orientation Week

How do I apply for the program?

Contact the Office of Study Abroad & International Exchange at studyabroad@uark.edu or go to studyabroad.uark.edu.

What happens during orientation week?

The orientation period is designed to familiarize students with their new surroundings, beginning with the Rome Center, and including the city of Rome as a whole.

Orientation week also includes a few mornings of sightseeing to help students recognize the important architectural sites and historical landmarks within the city center’s neighborhood.

During orientation, faculty and the Rome Center staff will introduce themselves. The instructors give you an overview of the courses and schedule, while the Rome Center staff will provide you with some information about what to expect from your new life in Rome. This information will help you get a feel of the place, settle in and open up to this new cultural environment.

Student Life

What are the advantages of studying abroad, and specifically, in Rome?

It is important to study abroad to develop a sensibility towards a different place, culture, and identity. This kind of experience nurtures a natural openness towards others and a certain flexibility. Students’ innate curiosity inspires their willingness to travel, and, upon their return, they find themselves equipped with new perspectives. When you return, you are bound to start seeing your home ground from a different point of view.

Here are some testimonials from some ex-students from our program:

Take architecture for example, experiencing architecture firsthand, studying it on site, taking into consideration the specific social, cultural, physical and structural contexts in which the work is realized, provides a better understanding of the processes which together define an architectural project. Le Corbuiser came back from his travels with quite a different awareness of his work. The same thing could be said about Louis Khan and many others. Just looking at their travel sketches explains a great deal about how their travels affected their design work.

In Rome, students expand their knowledge of architecture in the process of looking at both contemporary as well as historical buildings. Acquiring a better understanding of history is an opportunity to explore a theoretical background to architectural design and cultivates a cultural perspective in design.

Should I bring a laptop?

Our studio is equipped with a network of computers connected to a server and 24/7 internet connection. There are also numerous outlets where personal laptops can be connected to the system.

We strongly advise you to bring your own computer/laptop with you where you will be connected to the Rome Center network system. However, for security reasons, you should not leave your laptop overnight in the school.

Traveling during the semester?

Open Weekends where students are free to travel are built into the program. Besides this, the Rome Center offers a variety of opportunities for the students to participate in inter-regional and regional travel. Some of the trips are included in the program fee, whilst others are offered as an optional tour. Students choosing to join the optional travel programs will be charged through their university account. Destinations for mandatory and optional trips might change depending on changes in the needs of the program, or changes to the Italian law regarding approved activities of Universities in Italy.

Students must complete the Student Travel Form for any trips they plan to take. The information uploaded to the Travel Form enables the Rome Center staff to know where students are each weekend, which is important in the unlikely case of an emergency. Use the Travel Registration Form.

Can I go traveling during the orientation week?

No.

Many important points are touched on during orientation week: from who you should contact in the case of an emergency, to the academic offerings at the UofA Rome Center. The orientation sessions in Rome are structured to help our students form a sturdy base from which they start to explore their new and exciting environment. We would like to get to know you as well!

Can I leave luggage at the Rome Center while I travel?

If you plan to travel independently before or after the program, you can store your luggage at the long-term luggage deposit at the airport. The left luggage facility at Fiumicino airport is on the Arrivals level of the International Terminal. The baggage store is open from 07:00 until 23:00.

Left baggage room and porter services#.

You can also store luggage at the central station in Rome (Termini). There is a fee for each piece of luggage, according to the total number of hours/days in storage. Left Luggage Rome Station | Stow Your Bags

Please note that it is not possible to store luggage here at the UA Rome Center.