IES Abroad Milan

In Spring of 2018, I had the unbelievably fortunate experience of studying abroad for four months in Milan, Italy. As a double-major, I wanted to take classes that I could apply to both. I was able to take music lessons, an intensive Italian course, and a course called "Media, TV, and Communication in Milan." The course included field studies to a TV station, magazine publishing company, and recording studio to gain understanding of local media production. My music lessons were both productive and fun, and I very much enjoyed lessons each week. I absolutely loved my Italian course, despite having no prior experience with the language. I lived in an apartment with 6 other people which was cramped, but we made it work. The planned IES field trips were my favorite part of the semester; there is no way I could have planned a trip as fun as the one we took to the town of Parma!
Over the course of my time in Italy, I learned conversational Italian language skills by communicating with locals in their native tongue. I had the chance to demonstrate independence and immersion in a new culture through living in downtown Milan and taking classes from Italian teachers. My music classes encouraged teamwork and cooperation in spite of language barriers. Overall, the experience has definitely changed me for the better!

IES Abroad Milano was an incredibly fulfilling experience. Unlike other more touristy areas in Italy (Rome and Florence) where it is common to speak English, you will actually have to learn a little Italian to get by--I found this challenging and exciting to learn another language--the Italian courses through IES are superb. I recommend this program to anyone who is looking to learn a foreign language (after all, languages are a great way to make your resume stand out!). Additionally, IES provides wonderful housing accommodations--dorms, apartments, or a family stay. I chose to live in an apartment which was in the trendy neighborhood of Brera--all apartments will be in the center of Milan. If you choose to live in an apartment you will most likely have a direct roommate and other apartment mates unless you request a single room for additional cost. There will be an Italian CA who will live with you and they are all young and nice and a great resource for immersing yourself into the culture. In terms of Milan as a city, there is a lot of art and culture--the Duomo, apertivo, and the Last Supper are musts. The metro systems are very reliable and affordable (22 euros a month). Milan is also the financial and fashion capitals of Italy, so it is a great place to study business or fashion. All professors at the program are also affiliated with other Italian universities. The rest of the staff is also helpful for travel recommendations, making doctors appointments, and anything else you may need. Plus, the program typically has three to four trips per study abroad session. During my time, we went to Venice, Verona, Padova, and Parma. I cannot wait to visit Milan again!

I spent the best four months of my life in Milan, Italy this past semester. I wish I could go back every day. I miss the coffee, food, music, art and people. I arrived in the middle of January and immediately began orientation. The first week or so was spent exploring the city and learning more about how our schedules were going to work. I felt like I was getting tons of attention and was constantly being checked upon, so that made the whole first week a breeze. IES offers trips throughout the semester and I went on the Venice/Verona/Padua trip and got to see some of Italy's finest art. We travelled by train. I found the transit system in Italy to be straightforward as long as you could read signs you could get anywhere. I really enjoyed using the metro system in Milan. I lived about 15 minutes away from the IES center where all the classes were taught and the location couldn't have been better. The city center and Duomo (cathedral) are located about a 10-minute walk from the center. We began Italian courses after two weeks of arriving. It was an intensive so the information being taught was dense and somewhat familiar. I would recommend taking some Italian before visiting Italy. I had one semester and have been singing in it for years so I had a basic understanding of how everyday language was used. I enjoyed Signora Francalanza's Italian lessons. About a month in is when we got to select classes. I was in the music program and I had great options. I ended up going with History of Italian Opera, voice lessons, and an art history course on Leonardo Da Vinci. I thoroughly enjoyed each of these and really loved studying with the voice teacher: Patrizia Zanardi. I would go back again just to study with her. She was absolutely incredible and if you are serious about studying voice while abroad, she is the teacher for you. I sang several arias throughout the semester and got to sing at the place where Verdi is buried in Milan. UNREAL. Also, the art history Professor Regonelli was an absolute joy to be around. For that class we got to go see the Last Supper at the end of the semester. It was incredible being able to learn about a masterpiece and then walk literally 5 minutes to see it in person. I will never forget her class. Throughout the semester, I traveled a decent amount. I visited Ibiza, Florence, Venice, Lugano (Switzerland), Rome, Athens, Paris, Frankfurt. There are so many opportunities to do so because many times there are three-day weekends. As a music major, I was able to go see 4 different shows at La Scala (one of the world's finest opera houses) all thanks to a professor who was able to get us free tickets. The director of the program is extremely personable and was so happy and eager to listen and help whenever. I asked if it would be possible to join a local choir during the semester and he put me in touch with the local Jazz School. I worked with 20 local singers and Maestro Giorgio Ubaldi and performed in several concerts throughout the semester. With the group I sang at an expo for healthy living and in one of Milan's premier auditoriums as an opener for a famous Italian singer. It was absolutely one of the highlights of my semester and I made 20 new friends and colleagues along the way. There is so much that can be said about Milan, and I am so incredibly blessed to have lived here for a semester. I will be back someday. It is home to me. There's nothing better than being able to immerse yourself in a different culture and soak up all the beauty that this world has to offer. I still keep in touch with my IES friends, both from the states and from Italy. I can't thank the IES staff enough for making it the best experience of my life so far!!!

IES Milan Business Studies was such a great program! I took interesting classes with phenomenal professors, lived in one of the nicest neighborhoods and apartments in Milan, and had the time of my life. Milan was the perfect city to study abroad in. It has great night life, fashion, history, and is overall a very livable place. IES does a great job of helping students gain the most from their study abroad experience. The staff was always available to help me with whatever I needed and I became great friends with the Italian student (known as the CA) who I lived with. I would pick this program again if I had the chance. You won't regret it!

IES was an amazing program that offered so many opportunities I never would've experienced anywhere else. IES provides each apartment with a live-in Italian student to help make everyone's immersion into the culture of the country easier and more enjoyable. I learned so much from this one student and it really enhanced my experience in Italy. IES also offers two guided trips to places I never would've gone had IES not offered these trips. Both trips were incredible and showed students what Italy is like outside of the tourist attractions. Overall, the staff were very friendly and helpful and the classes were very insightful. I took 4 classes all on different parts of Italian history and it definitely made me more knowledgable and understanding of the country I was living in.

My time in Milan with IES was the best four months of my life. It all started with great organization and dedication from the IES staff in Milan. Their main concern was ensuring that everyone had an unforgettable time and their safety. If any problems arose, the staff was ready to address it immediately. My apartment and living situation was great. I was preparing myself for the worst, but it was a large, modern apartment right in the heart of Milan. The selection of classes allowed me to learn about things that I would have not otherwise had the chance to back at my home school. I did not know any Italian before I arrived, but the program required us to take Italian and for that I am grateful. It was a tremendous help at restaurants, asking for directions, and talking to my coworkers at the internship IES organized for me. Many students are drawn to Italy when thinking about where to study abroad because of the food, culture, history, fashion, and climate. However, most choose to study further south in Florence or Rome, but I think Milan is the perfect place. It is a city similar to the other ones in Western Europe and the United States and because of that it is easier to get acclimated. It is also very easy to travel to the rest of Italy in the south and the rest of continental Europe to the north. There is always something to do in Milan, day and night, with green parks, amazing restaurants, and countless bars, pubs, and clubs.
I have nothing but positive things to say about Milan and Italy as a whole. My favorite part would have to be the overall way of life in Milan. It is the financial capital of Italy, so it was very pro-business and at times felt like Philadelphia or New York, but they also had characteristics from the way of life in Southern Italy. While everyone was working hard, they always made time to relax and appreciate the beauty of life in everything from art to fashion and food.
The thing that separated my experience from others in my program was that I opted to partake in an internship as three of my credits. I worked at a consumer packaged goods start-up called Banale. I did everything from marketing, order fulfillment, website design and even new product development. They are currently building a prototype based on my recommendations. Not many people can say they have international work experience before graduating college, and even fewer can point to a product on the market and say that, "I designed that and now people are buying it."
My typical day in the life of my program was a bit different because three days a week I went to work for about five hours per day. In the mornings we would take the Metro to class, and it worked perfectly. There wasn't one time I wished I had a car because the metro ran so smoothly, as well as trams and buses. Midday there would be a break for lunch where students would go home to cook or to nearby cafes and restaurants. Students might return for afternoon classes, depending on their schedules. We would then go home and get ready for the night. We would either cook dinner, go out to a full restaurant, or just go out for "aperitivo" which is appetizers and cocktails. Then each night there was a different club running promotions for international students. Some nights we went to local pubs to watch "calcio" or soccer matches from across Europe.
In my free time it was fun to just explore the city, going to the different districts and seeing what they had to offer. My favorite was Navigli, or the canal district, because of the cafes for aperitivo. It was also fun to go shopping in the fashion capital of the world, even if a lot of the items were very pricey. On sunny days it was nice to hangout in local parks after classes were over. I even made it to a few soccer matches at the famous San Siro stadium, home to both Inter and AC Milan. Again, the nightlife was incredible and each club offered a little something different.
We had the option to stay in an apartment, a homestay with a local family, or a dorm room at a nearby university, but I chose the apartment. I stayed in a three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment with four other American students and one local Italian student. We stayed in a very modern apartment that was very spacious. It was in a very safe neighborhood, so that was never a concern. It was actually in one of the wealthier neighborhoods of Milan. The best part was, as they say, the location, location, location. I was only a 5-10 minute walk from the Duomo, which is the heart of the city.
When I first chose Milan, everybody always asked me, "Why Milan?" and my answer was because it was the financial capital of Italy and the fashion capital of the world. I discovered the Milan is so much more than that and I cannot imagine getting to call any other place home for five months. Part of me will always be there, and that's thanks to the amazing staff at IES that run this program.

My year-long experience in Milan was life-changing to say the least. I am so grateful to have picked this program because I was able to explore my passions of photography and fashion which allowed me to continue to develop my fashion blog (www.anewerkatintown.com), become immersed in the Italian language, and have the opportunity to take classes at a world ranked school, Bocconi University. I also loved the cultural immersion aspect that the program provided by scheduling trips to museums, exhibits, and restaurants. I would highly recommend this program to anyone who is interested in studying business in Italy, and having a diverse and unique experience!

I loved living in Milan and taking classes through IES. The staff at IES in Milan cares so deeply about their students and the cultural experiences we have during our time spent in Italy. They organize amazing trips to different parts of Italy and send out weekly suggested activities for those staying in Milan every weekend. The teachers want to see you succeed and they respect that students are also traveling on weekends. I lived with a host family and loved it. They were caring and sweet and respected my space.