The Italian Dream: A Purdue Engineer Abroad

By -


Purdue has so many opportunities to study abroad! There are over 200 programs to more than 45 countries. The programs can be departmental, exchange, or co-sponsored and are offered during the semester, fall break, spring break, Maymester, and the summer. Although some of these programs have a language requirement, many departmental programs do not. Every year, Purdue has a large study abroad fair for students to attend and learn about the many different programs offered through Purdue. Additionally, there are advisors in the study abroad office to help you plan out your study abroad experience and an online program search with filters.
This past summer I studied abroad in Italy as a part of the Honors College Study Away 4-week Maymester. The program consisted of two courses: the first focused on Da Vinci and the Renaissance and the second examined the art of travel. These two courses counted towards my civil engineering degree as two general electives. Monday through Friday we had lecture in class or a tour and on the weekends, we had some tours, time to do work, and time to explore or participate in other activities. The lecture and in-class course work were front-loaded, so we had the opportunity to apply our knowledge while on visits and tours in Florence and Venice. It was amazing to learn about Medieval and Renaissance architecture and then see the transition between the two in the many Campos around Venice.
Spending a month in Italy, we saw many different parts of the country. We spent the first week in Paderno del Grappa, a small town above Venice, and then stayed in Florence for a week. Next, we had a few days to choose a place to travel to and explore. Some friends and I went to Cinque Terre, where we stayed in Monterosso and hiked between all the different towns. Finally, we wrapped up the trip in Venice, where we stayed on a private Island and took the vaporetto into the mainland every day.
Experiencing and learning about the culture in Northern Italy was an eye-opening experience. In just one month abroad I met new friends outside of my major, took interesting classes that contributed to my engineering degree, and learned a lot about myself. I would highly recommend studying abroad at some point in college to learn about cultures other than your own, see the world, and make new friends. With the many programs, scholarships, and advisors to help you, Purdue makes studying abroad as an engineer easily accessible.

- JT Sarisky, Civil Engineering '22
WE Link Leadership Team
Stay Connected With Purdue WIEP!
Twitter: @purduewiep 
Instagram: @purduewiep
Email: welink@purdue.edu
Use the hashtag #PurdueWIEP on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!

Purdue Women in Engineering

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Understanding Purdue Housing

By -
Image
One of the many concerns incoming freshmen have is what to do regarding their housing options. In addition to the roommate selection process, you may be interested in seeing your on-campus options in terms of amenities and the communities available within the building. For example, when I accepted my admission to Purdue as a freshman, I knew I was interested in a standard double that I had experienced at a summer college program. To ensure my University Residences housing, I applied to Vertically Integrated Projects so that I would be able to pursue a research project as a freshman while also guaranteeing my housing within Earhart Hall through the connected learning community. For more information on learning communities, read our previous blog! Many freshmen will live in a residence hall, even if they are not in a specific learning community. Now, as a Resident Assistant or RA in Earhart Hall, I have been trained on the term “residence hall”; our halls go beyond a traditional “dormito
Read more

A very (sub)objective review of dining options at Purdue

By -
Image
Jenn and her friends after the Thankgiving dinner Food is an integral part of our day. For some people, the very first thing they do in the morning is eat breakfast. I personally prefer my cup of coffee to a stack of waffles. Nonetheless, food has the power to pick up a bad mood, enhance a good mood, and even ease the stress you are feeling about exams and homework. The awareness I have of how food impacts my mood is recently found since I started college in August. at home I usually came home to my mom or dad making something delicious in the crockpot. Suddenly I arrive at college and there are so many options that it can get overwhelming at times to figure out what to eat. Navigating the dining options at college did not seem like something I should have been worried about, yet it was something that took a month of experimenting to perfect.  The key is knowing where to go and what is consistent. I decided to help you out and give you some insight into how I view each dining option on
Read more

Top 10 Extracurriculars Purdue Students Want You to Join Outside of Engineering

By -
Image
1. Purdue University Dance Marathon (PUDM):  The biggest student-run organization on campus! You can join as a dancer, where you get to fundraise leading up to the 18-hour long event or be even more involved and join a committee! Some of the committees include Riley Relations, where you fundraise to sponsor events for the Riley families throughout the year & are paired with a Riley family for the night of the event, Special Events Committee, where you organize 5K’s and other events around campus throughout the year, and so much more! 2. Boiler Gold Rush (BGR):  Whether it be as a new student, a team leader (TL), or even a Supervisor, there are so many ways to get involved with BGR! This week-long event is held the week before classes start in August. As a new student, it is your first chance to meet your new colleagues and participate in many games, fountain runs, and other fun activities throughout the week. It is also a great way to familiarize yourself with the campus an
Read more