The Italian Dream: A Purdue Engineer Abroad

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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
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