Università commerciale Luigi Bocconi (Media and Communications Management)

Typical business school - at least one paper and one group work per course. Strange exam system - learn a book by heart and speak as long as you can (becuase 90% of the exams are oral). You can repeat an exam (about two weeks later). Often you were allowed to speak english in the exam. Grades between 30 and 18. Italians try to get between 28 and 30 - for exchange often 26 is sufficient - if translated to home university - otherwise: Get 18!!!

Computers are in bad mood - take an interactive learning course (see No. 4) - then you have access to special computer labs. Wait to be seated!!! You have to write into a waiting list - give up your ID - and get your seat. Library has a lot of material - mostly in the magazine - check in/out control system (strange). Sport Facilities: Not really, pay for private Handicaped: O.k. - library bad Cafeteria: Bad, but food o.k. (strange system with 3 different plates for 6.000 Lire) - get food in the street.

Quite good homepage with a vaste information offer where you can find whatever you want (the problem is to find it)got to: www.uni-bocconi.it/bocconi/servizi/estero/index.htm Go to Scala: There are offers for 10.000 Lire!

There is a placement office where you get at least a monthly list of internships. I was not interested in an internship so I don't know anythong further. Be aware: Italian companies are not used to offer internships! A friend of mine tried unsuccessfully to apply - so might be difficult.

It's still quite cheap in Italy - especially for Swiss at the moment. Going out in clubs is quite expensive (entrance fee between 20.000 Lire and 40.000 Lire), but in general it's cheap. During the week a lot of clubs have reduced fees or even free entrance. Cooking? No - food at the corner is so cheap. "Apperitivo" is something you should exploit - because Milano has a lot of young people, you don't go home to eat, you take an "apperitivo" - one drink (8.000 Lire) and food is free (warm and cold - sometimes even menus) General spending: 2.000.000 Lire a month by living well (fooball games in San Siro and so on)

Was good - the international office tries to help you or solving problems. There are a lot of parties organized by the exchange students organization.

As I suppose everyone of you has heard Milano has opened a new international airport (Malpensa) where everyone has to land from outside Italy (except you're lucky) - it's far away from city and is famous for its problems (took me 2 hours from the airport to my apartment in MI - 1 hour waiting for baggage and 1 hour traveling). But for people who have to take the plane, it's the only way. If you can take the train (as I could) you have a great advantage - it's quite fast (Cisalpino: Zurich - Milano in 3.5h) and the station is in the city centre. As the University Bocconi is perfectly located - 15 minutes walking from the famous duomo - you can reside in downtown Milano and do not need a car. Coming home late take a cab!

For EU: Nothing particular. If you take your car with you, take care of it. It's a wild city. But have always in mind Milano is not Napoli! For computers - facilities are not that good - we had no possibilty to make phonecalls from our rooms because of frauds. That means no internet connection from your laptop!!!(but who cares about computers in Milano!) It's quite warm (summer hot) and it doesn't rain very often (in spring). For Swiss: Get your visa back home and join the medical program. No problem!

Appartments in downotown Milano (between 600.000 lire and 1.000.000 Lire per month) are quite expensive and it's difficult to find something. If you have time you can meet with other students and search together). I stayed in a residence of the University that was o.k. Especially the fact that it was only 5 minutes to the university and 10 to the duomo made it worthwhile. I stayed in "Capitanio" an took a double room that was very small (former sickrooms), but modern. The rooms of the residence on "campus" are very old, but they have a large amount of single rooms. Problem: They make you pay from the beginning of month to the end of month - so make sure that you use this time (semester starts in the middle of the month).

HOW DO YOU CHANGE A TIRE (Italian Manner) A friend of mine had to change a tire on his car because he had a flat tire. As the car was old and screws were sticky, we were unable to loosen them - not even with the wrench and oil. That's a problem! Good luck, about 50 meters ahead we found a street sign with a pipe that had exactly the size of the back-end of the wrench. So we took that thing set it on the wrench - and jumped on it. That's the italian manner of doing things - help yourself and atke whatever you can find.

Mobile phone prepaid card are extremly cheap and absolutely needed in order to be able to survive in Italy. (Non-EU) You have to go to the Police office in order to get your residence permit (day of arrival).