The Italian Dream

Studying abroad was easily one of the best decisions I have ever made. The benefits go beyond what the classroom will give you. During studying abroad, you will encounter challenges including navigating language barriers, new cultures, new locations, and travel plans (making them and all that can go wrong); the list goes on! These are common, though challenging, occurrences that give you the opportunity to adapt and put your problem-solving skills to use, sometimes on the spot. Being overseas will also give you a level of independence that you may not have experienced before! This is a great thing! Without the immediate support of friends and family, it pushes you to rely on your own skills and trust your instincts to make decisions and how to spend your time. It may seem like even just a semester is a long time, but it isn’t going to be enough for you to do all you want. Trust me! I thought I had so much time at the beginning and the semester flew by! Sure, living abroad is amazing. But the soft skills you gain, the character development and growth that come from how you chose to handle the experiences will be invaluable.