This past fall semester I had the incredible opportunity to study abroad in Florence Italy and travel around Europe for four months. One of the reasons I initially chose my college was because of the opportunity to study abroad that it provided. As a fashion major you’re required to study abroad at least once during your time in school, and the program provides so many different study abroad options in locations such as Los Angeles, Paris, Florence, London, Hong Kong, etc. which I loved. Each program is created differently but all are very well structured for students and the staff and advisors make it all such a seamless experience. I immediately knew when I first found out about the abroad programs that I wanted to go to Florence as it was the longest program they offered (an entire semester) and I wanted to go during Fall of my junior year so I would be there for my 21st birthday to celebrate. The last year I spent a lot of my time preparing for my trip by taking a required course the prior semester about how to navigate life abroad, getting my passport and student visa, getting proper luggage, planning what to pack, working all summer to save up, planning trips I wanted to take while I was there, attempting to learn some Italian, creating budgets, and much more.
During my time abroad I was able to visit so many different places in Italy including Pisa, Viareggio, Sienna, Cinque Terre, Sorrento, Capri, Positano, Pompeii, Tuscany, Venice, Burano, Lake Como and Milan. I also traveled outside of the country to Croatia, Germany, London, Paris, Switzerland, Vienna and Austria. In all I traveled to 8 different countries in four months, which was a huge accomplishment for me considering I hadn’t traveled out of the country at all before that. My school took us on two 3-day trips to Milan and Venice, but every other trip I organized on my own either using study abroad agencies such as Bus2Alps and SmartTrips where they do most of the work for you and provide transportation, or planning it all on my own. I was also able to do a few fun day trips to Tuscany wineries and Spas, which is how I spent my 21st, and I would highly recommend doing that while there! Some of my favorite things I did include swimming in Cinque Terre, ziplining in Croatia, kayaking in Interlaken, visiting the cows in Switzerland, and climbing the Eiffel tower in Paris and having a laughing fit with my friends the whole time -causing everyone to glare at us LOL.
If you’re planning on studying abroad or have an option to do it I definitely say go for it! I honestly think my experience was one of the best things I have ever done and I was able to make so many amazing memories, saw incredible things, and made new friendships that I’ll cherish forever. I also grew A LOT as a person; I became way more confident, I discovered new qualities about myself, learned how to navigate places on my own, and so much more. While I was definitely terrified to leave my family and what I know, it became a lot easier once I went for it and allowed myself to be uncomfortable and adapt, and I would do anything now to relive my experiences and emotions all over again. If planning on going abroad I would recommend to become as familiar with the language as possible before arriving, and continue to immerse yourself in it while there as it’s easier to learn by simply having conversations with locals. I would also say to be okay with being on your own and making mistakes because that’s one of the best ways to learn. And my biggest piece of advice is to say yes to things and really put yourself out there with an open mind. As a very introverted person, I took it upon myself to try new things and do everything I could while I was there since I knew I was only there a certain amount of time and wanted to make the most of it, and I am so incredibly glad I did! While I have countless stories and experiences to share in future posts I hope this little bit of advice has helped and please reach out to me if you are studying abroad and have any more questions or concerns, I would love to help!