Destinazione: Italia

The above photos are from National Geographic Travel Guide

After extensive research online and several interviews, I have decided that I definitely will study abroad in Florence, Italy this upcoming summer. The affordability of the trip combined with all of the places you travel to on the weekends is what made this study abroad program very appealing to me. There are many study abroad programs out there, but not many offer as many travel opportunities within the actual program. This program will give me the opportunity to travel to florence, siena, pompeii/Mt. Vesuvius, Sorrento, and capri. 

Not only will the Italy trip allow me to travel to some of the most beautiful destinations in the world, but it will also help me in my future professional endeavors. I hope to gain a more worldly perspective from studying abroad. As a student minoring in the field of journalism, I find it highly invaluable to have a broad perspective of the world. I have learned from my studies that a good journalist has the ability to present a comprehensive and balanced story to people. I think that traveling will only deepen my outlook on issues in today’s world so that I can maintain an unbiased approach to this career. I think that is extremely important for anyone pursuing a possible career in journalism to have traveled to as many places as possible. I believe that the more people I meet and the more I open my mind to learning from these people that it will put me on the path towards being a knowledgeable journalist. I also have an interest in being an embedded foreign correspondent. Foreign correspondents often get thrown into countries in which they have never traveled to before or do not know any of the language. Having experience in traveling to foreign countries will endow me with a heightened sense of comfort if I do take on this career path in the future. 

I am also studying public relations at NC State and I think that studying abroad will also stimulate my growth as a public relations specialist. Studying abroad will give me the opportunity to communicate with people of a different culture. I will also be traveling abroad with a group of people I don’t necessarily know at all. This will benefit because in the professional realm, I will be forced to work with people I do not know from all different backgrounds and walks of life.

I have a deep passion for cooking as well and from what I understand, Italy has some of the finest cuisine in all of Europe. I also find European Art and History fascinating. The rich history that encompasses Italy is very appealing to me. From what I have studied in school, Florence is considered the “birthplace” of the Renaissance. Florence Italy is also home to some of the greatest artists in the world, such as Brunelleschi and Donatello.  I would feel honored to study abroad in a city with such renowned historic and cultural heritage.

The Application Process

Once you have decided on a study abroad program, you cannot just simply pay the fee and automatically be accepted to go on the trip. You actually have to fill out an in-depth application for most programs that reveals who you are and why you should be accepted to go on the trip. The NCSU Study Abroad program at NC State requires students to fill out a detailed personal statement as well as an essay.

For the essay section of the study abroad application, I am going to focus on why I have chose to study abroad, what I hope to gain from the experience, and why I have chosen the specific Italy program and location. I am also going to include how the study abroad experience will help achieve my educational goals, will fit into my career plans, and will stimulate my intellectual/personal growth.

For anyone studying abroad, these are really strong points to pinpoint if you are really serious about being accepted into a study abroad program at a university. You want to show the study abroad office that you truly deserve to be picked to go on the program and that you are going for the right reasons. The study abroad office wants to know that you are going to be able to adapt in a foreign environment and be flexible if things do not run as smoothly as planned. For instance, one of the questions on the Florence study abroad application is: "The nature of study abroad programs often entails unexpected changes in schedules and activities as well as changes due to unfamiliar cultural norms. As such, an individual studying abroad should possess patience, the ability to be flexible, and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances. Thinking about patience, flexibility, and adaptability, describe an example in your life where you demonstrated these qualities and discuss how it might relate to your experience abroad.

NCSU Florence Study Abroad Program

The Florence Study Abroad program through NC State gives students the opportunity to take courses at Lorenzo de Medici University, located in the heart of Florence. What is good about this University is that concentrates in the humanities. As an NC State student in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, I found it beneficial to study at a university abroad that does embrace the same concentration that I am studying. At LDM, I can take courses in communications that will further my understanding in field and also give me credit towards my degree. I will automatically have to take a history Italian Renaissance Civilization and Culture that will count towards a history credit in the humanities. I can also choose to take another course to fulfill my degree requirements or I can take an interesting course like Italian cooking. 

It is reassuring that I will be able to study abroad in a beautiful and culture rich in history, while still getting credits toward my degree at my home institution. For many of the other programs at NC State, the courses were more geared toward business majors or engineers. This Florence Study abroad program is geared toward people that have an interest in the humanities and social sciences. In the video above, a student from Sweden decided to take an interior design course at LDM. He was so pleased with the program, that he decided to purse a degree in interior design there. This shows that LDM caters to a diverse community, from all different countries around the world. I think it is imperative that as a student, I am in an environment where I am exposed to working with people from different countries. In the future, I will have a career that will probably involve working with people from all different backgrounds and places around the world. Studying abroad will give me a chance to start doing that before I enter into the workforce. 

"It was the best experience of my life!"

After reviewing through several different interesting study abroad programs that NC State had to offer, I came upon the Florence Study Abroad program. This program seemed to offer the most for your money. While many of the programs only sent you to two places within the country, this program allows you to travel to at least six different places within Italy. The program also seems to offer an extensive list of museums and other unique destinations that one could not possible plan for themselves if they wanted to study abroad without going through the NCSU study abroad program. I decided to interview another person who has actually gone on this same trip to see her perspective looking back on this trip. 

Megan Petcavich in Rome, Italy

Megan Petcavich, a junior in Communications, went on the NCSU Florence Study Abroad trip this past summer. Here is what she had to say in an interview with me:


Me: What did you think of the Florence Study Abroad trip?
Megan:  It was the best experience of my life! The Italy trip is absolutely amazing. To start the advisors are great and very helpful, its our vice chancellor who is really nice and cool and our Italian contact is Luca and he was also very helpful and made it a great experience for all of us.
Me: How costly is the trip?
Megan: The trip is expensive (all study abroad trips are) but I can say Italy is so worth it. I had friends that went on other trips and paid more and had no planned travels but we have them every weekend (friday-sunday) and they are planned to the last detail which is very nice. You'll have one free weekend (you should go to Rome b/c we don't go as a group) and thats a lot to plan in itself...it makes you appreciate all thats planned for you because it's a little intense in a foreign country.
Me: What kinds of things did you do on the weekend?
Megan: Every weekend we traveled and we stayed in very nice hotels and they were paid for as well as transportation and admission to stuff we did while we were there. Every weekend we had free time too, so that was nice to explore. I can't even tell you how nice it is to have a tour and all the important stuff planed out for you. You'll travel to all of the main cities, expect Milan, and you'll get to have the most amazing experiences at each place.
Me: It sounds like this trip has a lot to offer! The only thing that I have been concerned with is the cost of the program.
Megan: Honestly, looking at the cost, I don't know how they made it so cheap. Meals in Italy are at least 5 courses and super expensive, but they provided a lot of nice meals for us and that alone would be thousands of dollars.
Me: Well thank you Megan for sharing a little bit of information on the Florence Study Abroad program.


My interview with Megan really revealed just how good of a deal it would be to study abroad through the NCSU Florence, Italy trip. It sounds like there would be a lot of amazing trips planned at a fairly reasonable cost. This trip is definitely one I will take a deeper look into. 

Florence Study Abroad Program 

'But it's so expensive..'

One of the major factors that usually turns students off from studying abroad is how expensive these trips usually tend to be. I know the main reason why I have been apprehensive about studying abroad is because most of the trips are well over what most college students can afford right now, especially in a struggling economy. There is some good news for students who are concerned with how much it costs to study abroad. If a student wishes to study abroad for an entire semester, the student can usually pay the exact same tuition that they pay to their home institution. Many students have various reasons for desiring to study abroad over the summer however, and this does not carry over for these students. I am planning on studying abroad for 5-8 weeks over the summer and the tuition does not work out as well under this circumstance. 

After searching, I found some helpful advice from Sallie Mae for students who need to figure out ways to fund their study abroad trip. Here are some of the highlights:

1.) Much of your financial aid can probably be applied towards your trip-- check with your university's financial aid office to see if this applies to you.

2.) Scholarships are a good way to finance a study abroad program. When you find a scholarship that you qualify for, see if it can be applied to international study. Some scholarships focus exclusively on those going overseas or to certain countries.

3.)If you school is in the listed in the Federal School Code Search, you can use federal student loans — like Stafford and PLUS — to pay for your non-U.S. school.

4.) Ask your academic adviser, financial aid counselor, and study abroad office for more information on paying for study abroad and your eligibility for financial aid.

5.) Take out a loan from your bank if you are eligible

6.) Get a job and save up as much money as you can or ask family and friends to donate money to your "study abroad fund."

Here is a chart credited to The NY Times which displays information on the cost of programs and the credit students receive towards their major:

Studying abroad Offers Benefits for Communication Majors

            I found a very informative video online featuring an interview with Dr. James Gaudino, Dean of the College of Communication and Information at Kent University.  During this video interview, Dr. Gaudino stresses the importance of communication majors immersing themselves in study abroad programs around the world. He notes the fact that students who come from a wide range of communication majors, such as Public Relations, Journalism, Communication Media, etc, will benefit from studying abroad because at some point in their careers they are going to work with people from different cultures.He believes that the more preparation you get in interacting with people from different cultures while in college, the better your career is going to be. 

             I am a communication major at NC State University, studying Public Relations with a minor in Journalism and I found this video helpful because it described how studying abroad can greatly benefit someone in my field of work. I did not want to study abroad if it did not give me a further understanding into the field of communication in some way. While studying abroad I will be able to interact with people and students from a different country, which will be a valuable experience as a communication major.

Study Abroad at Kent University

Political Leaders on Studying Abroad

While researching all of the possible benefits that study abroad offers to college students, I came upon an interesting website that featured prominent U.S. President's and political leaders and their position on studying abroad. The opinions of some of the most influential political leaders in the United States share why they think it is important for students to study abroad and become educated on different cultures.  Here are some of the more significant speakers that were listed on the website and how they feel toward cultural immersion:



1.President George W. Bush- "America's leadership and national security rest on our commitment to educate and prepare our youth for active engagement in the international community."


2. President Bill Clinton- "To continue to compete successfully in the global economy and to maintain our role as a world leader, the United States needs to ensure that its citizens develop a broad understanding of the world, proficiency in other languages, and knowledge of other cultures. America's leadership also depends on building ties with those who will guide the political, cultural, and economic development of their countries in the future. A coherent and coordinated international education strategy will help us meet the twin challenges of preparing our citizens for a global environment while continuing to attract and educate future leaders from abroad."


3. Former Secretary of State, Medeleine K. Allbright- "While these initiatives focus on specific areas of expertise, they also improve the climate for respecting basic human rights. In relatively closed societies, IIE programs provide a rare chance to establish outside contact and explore wonderfully dangerous ideas, such as freedom. In transitional countries they provide a means of educating future leaders about the nuts and bolts of democratic institutions. And in every nation they touch, they help open the door of opportunity to minorities and women."

Political Leaders on Studying Abroad 

To study abroad near or far?

While browsing through the different study abroad programs offered at NC State, it came to my attention that many students chose to study abroad without going all the way across the world. Some students find it more economical to simply study abroad by traveling a little further south to Central America or even South America. It is fairly cheaper to do this and the currency exchange is a lot more pleasant. Walker Petty, an NC State alumni in Business Entrepreneurship with a Minor in Spanish, raved about his summer study abroad trip to Peru two years ago. Looking back on his college career, he raves that his study abroad experience is one of the best memories he has from college. It was cheaper to fly south to Peru than it would have been to fly all the way to Europe. Another reason why he wanted to travel to Peru was because he wanted to be immersed in a culture that would help him sharpen his Spanish speaking skills and hopefully become fluent. He didn't have to travel all the way to Spain to do this.

Walker Petty hiking Machu Picchu in Peru

While this program worked out well for Walker Petty, I do not have the same interests as he does. I am not particularly focused on becoming fluent in the Spanish language and this program primarily focuses on language skills. I also think it would be better for me to travel to Europe while I can and am in college because later on down the road, it will be easier and cheaper to travel South to Central or South America.

Here is a link to another students blogged experience on the Peru Study Abroad Trip at NC State:
NCSU Peru Blog 

A word from the wise..

The NCSU Study Abroad fair was held last week to help shed some light on what programs are offered for NC State students. These programs ranged anywhere from New Zealand to Denmark. Students had a chance to meet with faculty that are sponsoring the trips and also speak with students to gain a better understanding of what they actually did on their trips. I decided to conduct an interview with one of the students to see what they actually thought of the program they went on through NC State.

The interview was with Sam Alcorn, a junior at NC State University in Criminal Justice. He recently spent this past spring semester of NC State in the beautiful Sydney, Australia.

Me: Why should students study abroad in Sydney, Australia?
Sam: Well, because it was honestly one of the most amazing experiences of my life and there is no better time to get out of the country than while you are in college and do not have a full-time job.
Me: In what ways has traveling to Australia altered your outlook on life?
Sam: It has given me a broader perspective of things that I never would have had if I had stayed in Raleigh, NC the rest of my life. I think it's important for everyone, if they have the means, to study abroad and experience cultures that they never have before. It broadens your perspective on so many things in life and provides you with a totally different experiance in college.
Me: How is the NCSU Sydney, Australia program different than others?
Sam: Well, for one thing it's a little bit farther than some of the other more popular ones, in Europe for instance. That is why this program is more expensive than a lot of the others. It is definitely worth it though, to study abroad in such a beautiful country on the other side of the world.

 Sam Alcorn in Royal Nation Park, Australia

The Sydney, Australia program sounds like a very unique, exciting study abroad destination, however, it does seem a bit pricey. The application charge for a semester in Sydney at Macquarie University, in Sydney is $605, through ISEP who works in conjunction with the NC State Study Abroad programs. The programs that are directly through NC State required only a $200 application fee, which is a lot more reasonable.

The first step to actually stepping outside of the box...

Studying abroad for me will mean stepping outside of my comfort zone and stepping outside of the box. Are you willing to step outside of the box with me? How do we go about doing this though?

1.)First, I searched online for my universities study abroad website Once I got there I began to surf around the website to get a good feel for what it will actually take to study abroad. I found information for a study abroad fair that is being held here at NC State University.
2.) Next, I am going to visit the NCSU study abroad fair on September 16th. There I will have the opportunity to meet with advisers and faculty that will guide me in the right direction as I look over the study abroad programs being offered. If you are trying to study abroad too, first check out your university's study abroad website and see if they are holding a similar fair. These fairs are very informative and will provide you with pamphlets and informational guides for the programs being offered at your university. You can also speak with people that have actually been on these trips to get the inside scoop.
3.) After visiting the study abroad fair, I am hoping that I will have found some interesting programs to choose from. I will begin to research the specific locations of each program to find out which one seems most appealing to me.

 Here is a short video clip I found at the NC State University Study Abroad office website:

"Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained..."

Isn't that what they always say? Well I have decided that I desperately need to travel the world and discover what's really on the other side. This blog will document my journey on picking the perfect study abroad destination. Study Abroad Advice

-Jess