Weekly quiz

Our readers have heard so much from us lately -- via this blog, Facebook, Twitter, you name it -- that I suspect they just want to get on with the quiz.

But just one thing before that: if there is something truly pressing that you need to know, please send in a comment on this blog if you think it's an issue of general interest, or send an email to me at admissions@jhubc.it. We will not let your query languish.

So then, on directly to the quiz.

Who is this man and what does he do?

Hint: Most incoming students will get to know him very quickly after arriving in Bologna.

New prize: a Bologna Center tee shirt.

Nelson Graves

A roof over your head

Today we'll take up another burning issue: housing.

Where do students live? Does SAIS Bologna have dormitory rooms?

Bologna Center students live in apartments. There are no dormitories at the Center. We've got a great building that was renovated only a few years ago. But we don't ask that you live in the library stacks or on a classroom table.

How do students find apartments?

We have a consultant who has many years of experience helping students find apartments. (Quiz players: maybe a hint for the future.) Starting in mid-August, he will have several dozen apartments to show students. He handles matters with landlords and generally collects the monthly rent for the landlord. That alone is a huge service.

This year the consultant will be available starting on August 18. If you want to find an apartment before that date, you can find some contacts on page 37 of the Guidebook for Incoming Students.

Students who want to take advantage of the housing service should sign up for an appointment immediately upon arriving in Bologna. He will take groups of students on apartment tours twice a day -- once in the morning, a second time in the afternoon -- visiting as many as 80 apartments a day. Try that on your own, without a consultant.

Most students find something in a day or two. As the apartments are fully furnished -- many have sheets and towels, too -- one can often move in right away.

How does one find roommates?

Many students find their roommates when they go on the apartment visits. I did when I found my apartment -- through the same consultant -- in the autumn of 1981. And I've never regretted it. Indeed, most SAIS students live with other SAIS students.

Where are the apartments?

Most are located within a 10-30 minute walk under the Bologna porticos -- and less on a bike, a common form of transport in the city. (My wife and I have shrunken our carbon footprint by getting rid of our car and doing everything on bike, foot, bus or train. Not a problem.) Some apartments are outside the city walls and might require a 5-15 minute bus trip.

How many people generally live together?

Most apartments have two to six single bedrooms with a common kitchen and bathroom(s). All students can have their own bedroom. The average apartment accommodates three students. Some prefer single apartments; they are available, but -- surprise! -- they cost more.

How much do the apartments cost?

Prices will vary according to size, location, quality of furniture and whether the apartment has been recently renovated. If you choose to share an apartment with one to five roommates, your monthly rent will probably be between 450 and 600 euros, including utilities. If you want to live in a single apartment, count on 600-1,000 per month, excluding utilities.

The average student pays about 450 euros in rent. Some less, some more.

What about utilities?

Sometimes they are included in the rent. If not, then you will be asked to pay a monthly deposit of 100 euros toward utility costs, based on projected costs. At the end of the academic year, when the lease expires, exact utility costs will be calculated. If you have paid too much during the year, you will be reimbursed. And you'll owe more if you kept the iron on too long or ran the washing machine too much.

What is in the apartments?

They come furnished. That means they have living room furniture and beds, usually single but sometimes 1-1/2-sized beds. They will also have washing machines, dishes, pots, pans, an iron and blankets. Some apartments may have sheets, towels and/or other linens.

How long do the leases last?

For the academic year. You start paying when you move in and stop when the school year ends. Try getting that kind of deal from a big city landlord.

If I don't come to pre-term, will any apartments be left for me?

If you are not taking a pre-term course and arrive in September, try to arrive one week before orientation to get settled and organized. We will try to have an adequate number of apartments available for all incoming students. But as we say where I come from in Buffalo, New York: First come, first served.

I'm sure I have not answered anywhere near all of the questions on housing. For more information, consult the Guidebook for Incoming Students, pages 36-40.

Nelson Graves

Getting a solid start

It's dry, sunny and comfortably warm. You're more likely to take your dinner outside than in. The bolognesi have returned from summer holidays. The city's pulse picks up.

It's pre-term at SAIS Bologna.

The Bologna Center's academic calendar traces that of European universities, which generally start their school years in October. Historically the late start relative to the U.S. system stemmed from the need for students to help with the harvest before beginning class.

Bologna intra muros

But the corridors of SAIS Bologna begin to fill in late August when most incoming students come to Bologna to get some work under their belts before the full Fall term begins.

I don't know the origins of pre-term, but it existed when I attended the Bologna Center 30 years ago. I showed up on a hot August afternoon, had a picnic lunch with my girlfriend in Giardino San Leonardo next to the Center and then went with Salvatore La Ferlita to find what would end up being my home for the next nine months -- an apartment in a tidy brick building just outside one of the city's medieval gates.

(Salvatore, as some of our readers know, still finds apartments for our students. When I returned to the Center this fall after nearly three decades as a foreign correspondent, I could not remember the address of the flat I had lived in. "Via Brevantani," Salvatore quickly remembered.)

Pre-term in Bologna lasts four to five weeks, depending on one's choice of subjects, and offers courses in Italian, intensive English, microeconomics and macroeconomics. Here's a mini-scoop for those hoping to come here for the next academic year: pre-term is tentatively scheduled to start on August 25 and end on September 27. Subject to change.

About four out of five students enroll in at least one of the pre-term courses:

- Microeconomics (intermediate level)
- Macroeconomics (intermediate level)
- Intensive Advanced English
- Intensive Italian
- Survival Italian

First, a word on economics. The pre-term courses are at the intermediate level and not geared to someone who has had no economics. Students with no background in micro- or macro- are required to take and pass the SAIS Online Principles of Economics course or an equivalent course outside of SAIS before taking the intermediate level courses.

Also, the intermediate pre-term economics classes do not carry credit towards the 16 courses required for the M.A. degree, but they satisfy the respective economic theory requirements.

Intensive Advanced English is geared towards those who, despite having a sound basis in the language, want to increase their fluency in writing, listening and speaking.

Intensive Italian provides a foundation for students new to the language. I'm living proof that after some 100 hours, a student can go out and take full advantage of life in Italy. Who knows, you might end up back in Italy years later and still be able to make yourself understood.

Survival Italian is reserved for students taking a pre-term economics course and involves about 40 hours of classes.

For more detailed information on pre-term, click here. Keep in mind that the schedule was for the last pre-term, not the coming one.

Beyond allowing students to get their feet on the ground academically, pre-term is a chance to get to know the other students and to settle down in Bologna. Many students spend weekends exploring Bologna or nearby destinations such as Florence, Venice or Cinque Terre.

In my case, my roommates and I set up house, I had a good laugh in Mili's intensive Italian class while getting a solid grounding in the language and my girlfriend of the time became my fiancée (and later my wife -- she still is).

A lot can happen in pre-term.

Tomorrow: democratic development

Nelson Graves