I would have loved to do a full semester abroad, traveling every weekend and strolling the streets of a foreign country arm-in-arm with my best friends. However, with only four years of college, I was too timid to miss either football or THON season. The fall semester is an extremely exciting time, filled with tailgates, reconnections and familial breaks.Â
Going abroad in the fall would completely eliminate each opportunity that the months of August through December hold. Alternatively, the spring semester is comprised of sorority rush, the thrill of THON and Saturday darties as the weather gets warmer. As we are only here for eight semesters, missing one is my worst fear.Â
Last summer, right after my freshman year, my mom encouraged me to do a Maymester abroad. I wouldn’t have an internship as a freshman, and my older sister greatly enjoyed her Maymester in Madrid. I wouldn’t miss anything riveting in State College and would get to have a built-in summer vacation.Â
Despite my fears of the thought that I would fly across the country all by myself, I applied to a Smeal study abroad program in Florence on the day the applications were due. While the trip wrapped up in June, I still mourn my experience every day in the month of April. The studying was no different than a typical semester.Â
I took accelerated courses in International Business with a focus on Italy, and Communications with a focus on social media and Italian food. The classes were almost four hours long, with breaks in between, four days a week. As someone who is physically incapable of sitting still for longer than 20 minutes, I was surprised by my ability to pay attention and gain knowledge from the classes.Â
There were frequent field trips in both, teaching us much about the country’s culture and how it ties to the world of business. My roommates and I traveled every weekend. In just six weeks, we conquered Siena, Cinque Terre, Venice, Pisa, Livorno, Vatican City, Rome, Sorrento and Positano, along with international weekending in Paris and Vienna.Â
Being abroad for six weeks did not once deprive us of the typical study abroad experience; it just expedited things. I truly think the benefits of doing a summer program outweigh the harms. Not only did I not miss THON or football, but I also journeyed all around Eastern Europe in the summer.Â
Neither spring nor fall semester offers warm and sunny weather every single day, perfect temperatures for the Amalfi Coast and the beautiful summer scenery of Tuscany. This made everything feel like a vacation, with a few readings each night and a quiz the next day. My 9 a.m. class was hard to make, especially after staying out late and soaking up the culture, but both professors genuinely cared about their students and helped make class more enjoyable than at University Park.
I left a summer of travel with six easy extra credits on my transcript, although eager to go home. Six weeks was the perfect amount of time to be away from home before I missed air conditioning, Taco Bell and American outlets to charge my phone. I also can’t imagine how much money full semesters abroad cost in terms of travel, as my parents said I went “over budget” in my month and a half of adventure.Â
Whether a real semester or a simple Maymester, going abroad was truly the best thing I could’ve done for myself as a student and person. It was incredibly eye-opening and enjoyable in so many aspects. I recommend that any Penn State student apply to a program to overcome the nerves and do not plan to stop talking about my amazing experience any time soon.