AIFS Abroad: Study Abroad in Italy

i had a fantastic experience with aifs in rome. the staff is always there for you, the accommodations are excellent, and the organized trips are a lot of fun. classes arent too challenging, which allows you plenty of freedom to spend time enjoying the city and traveling. rome is a small enough city that you never feel overwhelmed but at the same time there are always new things to do and places to see. id go back in a heartbeat

Richmond in Rome with AIFS is hands down the best study abroad program in the eternal city. Since meal plans, accommodations, and excursions are included you really do get the most for your money. For me, the program was the perfect size (about 75 students and 15 staff members) which was intimate enough for engaging classes, and large enough to meet new faces throughout the semester. The school itself was located in an amazing location, allowing me to explore the city between classes, and to enjoy the scenery on my walk to school every morning. In fact, I chose the home-stay option, and my apartment was just a block from the Vatican! That placed me right in the historical center of Rome, and coincidentally during one of the most epic moments in history-the resignation of Pope Benedetto XVI, and the election of Pope Francesco! Now of course, not everyone will be so fortunate to be there in such heightened times, however, this is just to illustrate the point that Rome is an incredibly busy city, with some of the worlds richest and growing history. This study abroad program helped me be a part of that.

Many of my classes were taught onsite by knowledgeable and passionate professors. The excursions were very well organized. Each of them had a balance between faculty-led activities and free time for exploring on your own. The accommodations in Venezia, Napoli, and Firenze were cozy and centrally located. Excursions were a great way to bond with other students in my program. In addition to the excursions, the cultural events such as wine tastings, cooking classes, museum and villa trips helped expose us students to the culture and become closer with one another at the same time.

Another plus for this program when comparing it to others, is that it comes with meal vouchers! Eating in Rome as one would imagine can become pretty expensive, however these costs can be greatly reduced with these vouchers. Because they were accepted in many restaurants and grocery stores in all of Italy, I was able to better budget my expenses so that I could travel more.

If I every had a question or concern, or was in need of a simple suggestion, a staff member was just a phone call or email away with a quick response. Any student on my program will tell you how amazing the Richmond staff was: Rosanna, Marco, Chicca, instructors and interns put forth great efforts to give us an unforgettable experience and they succeeded. They were also just very caring and approachable people that many of us students, including myself still keep in touch with.

Undoubtedly, my favorite part of my study abroad experience was my Italian host family. My host family and I became very close. They showed me Rome from the eyes of Romans, and taught me a lot about their culture and way of life in a way that I wouldn't have been able to learn on my own. My months in Rome have forged a relationship with them and my Italian friends that will last a lifetime, and that's something you can't put a price tag on. I cannot wait to go back!

Writing about my experience going abroad brings back so many wonderful memories. If I could tell you anything, it would be to just go, study abroad and see the world, go not knowing anyone and with high expectations! Just a forewarning though, those expectations will be blown out of the water! The experience of studying abroad was life changing and by far the best thing I have done in my 22 years of life. The AIFS staff was absolutely incredible from beginning to end. I applied after the deadlines and with the help of all of their amazing staff was able to get everything together and two months later I found myself on a plane to Europe! The program leaders were extremely knowledgeable and helpful with everything from how to get to certain places, to recommending local places to enjoy apertivo, to setting up cultural activities like attending the florentina soccer games/the opera/cooking classes/ museum tours, etc, they were very concerned about our safety, AIFS's 2 week orientation course that focused on mastering the Italian language was great because I had no previous Italian language skills, the professors were extremely knowledgeable about the courses they taught, the meal plan was out of this world (I ended up gaining a couple pounds and having to buy all new pants, but every bite was worth it), the housing accommodations were perfect and I had a wonderful time getting to know and living with four girls in our own apartment. I could go on and on forever about my experiences abroad, the four months I spent in Florence, Italy will always hold a special place in my heart, and I thank AIFS for making every second possible and truly blowing my expectations out of the water!

The Milan internship summer 2013 was a great time for me. The staffs were very helpful when I needed help with personal needs. Great Italian language school and all the small trips GE organized. One thing I have to pointed out is that I specifically request an internship in Italy that I could learn about the Italian fashion, hand sewing and techniques; unfortunately I did not get any of that at my internship rather than just working on the computer most of the time. That is way far than what i was hoping to get out from this internship. For the price I paid to be in this internship, I would want to get the skills I set out at the beginning. GE did not do a great job at placing an internship dedicating to my needs, and wants.

The language program was excellent. I learned so much and it helped me prepare for my internship where only Italian was spoken. I learn foreign languages very fast, so coming to a country where I didn't speak the language was not a problem. But, I would recommend taking an Italian course before coming to Italy. It will help when traveling, meeting new friends and having success interning.

For the first 2 weeks I was placed at an internship that was not a good fit and I was able to get it changed. (keep in mind changing an internship can only happen if the internship breaks the rules in the contract i.e. not giving you 30-40 hours per week of work) I was placed with a fantastic internship that focused on my exact area of interest. For the last 4 weeks of my internship was great. I worked hard and learned a lot. What you should keep in mind about any experience is that it is what you make it. The first 2 weeks of my internship was not good, BUT I was able to look at the silver lining in it and apply the difficulties I faced to improve myself and my work.

I participated in Project Moda, and although it was a good experience, I didn't personally think it was a make or break event that was a 'must' to attend in order to further my career.

Some pointers: Be open to meeting new people and relating to other cultures, stay positive, get an Italian cellphone provided by GE, eat everything, live like a local (I did and ended up having the time of my life), bring walking shoes (lots of walking in Milan), don't overpack (you won't use everything... I PROMISE), having experience on your resume WILL get you a better internship, explore-explore-explore and lastly, THIS EXPERIENCE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT... you will encounter so many types of people and have the opportunity to further your career and make many memories... take the chance... live it up!

Included in the program price are 4 excursions (one local and 3 outside of Milan). I had so much fun, and it was a great way to introduce Italian culture and life to me; a foreigner.

Overall, I believe this program was a fantastic and necessary addition to my life experience and future career. It has opened my mind to possibilities I hadn't considered, and has allowed me to broaden my scope of interest and skill set. Having work experience in a foreign country and knowing another language will definitely put me ahead of the competition.

Take a chance on GE, you won't be disappointed!

If you're looking to study/intern abroad, GE is a company that can provide you with mentorship, an internship in your given field, and traveling opportunities. Shout out to Eleonora, thank you for your happy energetic personality and for making sure I was happy at my internship from day one till the day I departed back for the states. If you choose to come to Milan, make sure you buy gelato from Grom and Ciccolato :)

I had very positive experiences which helped me improve as professional but more important it helped me improve as a person! I had the opportunity to have the perfect match with my company. Our relationship flow from the first day! I am extremely happy because they gave me numerous responsibilities like office work, marketing and communications, video operator and events organiser, which helped me gain a lot of experience and more - raised the confidence in my personal strengths! Furthermore, I got the opportunity to travel around Italy and Europe ( particularly Munich, Germany and Cattolica - a beautiful town on the Italian cost). Overall, I think I had one of the best summer experiences until now because I was able to meet a lot of people ( some of them future connections and good friends!

I think I got lucky that I was placed at such a good company. My company was wonderful and were very, very generous with their interns. Overall my co-workers and supervisors let me do a plethora of fun and interesting duties. I learned a lot at the company I was placed at and I'm very thankful I was here. I definitely loved Eleonora though! She was wonderful and so nice!