Available Opportunities for Studying Italian Abroad
If you have a love for languages, Italian food, traveling, and/or adventure, you would do well to make an attempt to study Italian abroad, as it will undoubtedly make for an unforgettable, life-changing experience. Studying abroad anywhere will gift you with a fresh perspective on the world and your place in it, but studying in Italy will add layers of warmth and life, thick as gelato and just as decadent.
First things first: keep your eye out for e-mails from your university and fliers on campus for upcoming informational meetings for study abroad programs in Italy. At the first workshops you attend, you will get a basic overview of things like how long the program lasts, where in Italy you’ll be staying, what level of Italian will be taught (or if there are multiple classes, which course matches your current fluency), etc. Once you select the program that is right for you, you will most likely be attending a series of sessions from that point forward that will help you stay on track throughout the process of getting your passport and paperwork together. Depending on the program, you may also have to go through some kind of screening process. This may come in the form of a sit-down interview, but most likely will include a written application of sorts. Make sure you fill out all your information as accurately as possible on each form: going abroad is a serious business and the last thing you want to do is to overcomplicate an already complex procedure because of a technicality.
Most programs have a limit on how many people can participate. This means that if you’re thinking of going or have decided to go, don’t wait until the last minute to send in your deposit money and your official statement of intent. The size of the group may be a factor that influences your decision when choosing among the programs offered at your school. While a smaller-sized group may mean a more intimate learning environment and more opportunities to engage with local Italians, keep in mind that the group from your school may be combining with groups from other schools who are all part of the same program. If you do go with a large group, you want to consider the fact that you’ll probably be spending most of your time with other English-speaking students, which may not force you out of your comfort zone as much, nor push you to learn Italian as quickly, but could provide you with a larger support base in a strange country. It just depends of what type of experience you’re looking for and where you judge your own level of self-sufficiency to be.
On the topic of self-sufficiency, it is all well and good to make the experience your own, but don’t take your independence too far. When you arrive in Italy, you’ll want to heed all the detailed directions that you’ll most certainly have been given far in advance. In fact, you should have these post-flight steps memorized before leaving home soil. Follow the rules, go through the process, and then enjoy the good stuff – like pizza-making in Naples or shopping on the island of Capri – while you learn one of the most beautiful languages on the planet. Buon viaggio!
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