Is Freshmen Abroad program worth it?

I am accepted as a Spring 2016 student at UMD and just got a letter about Freshmen abroad at London or Rome for Fall 2015.

Does anybody have any experiences of that program? It sounds awesome, but I am not really sure if it will be worth it.
Because I can just stay in the dorm for my first semester like any other students and join clubs, make new friends…etc

It will be really nice if I spend a semester in a totally new environment, but it won’t give me time to adopt the school too.
So I am kind of worried. Plus, I am not really sure if the classes I am taking in London/Rome will same as the classes through the Freshmen Connection.