I may be traveling and exploring Europe every weekend, but during the week my classes take up my time. All the classes I take fulfill credits towards my marketing major. I am taking oil painting, international marketing, renaissance art history, and Italian. My reasoning behind choosing these specific classes to take while abroad was simple. I took renaissance art history and oil painting because it’s Italy! You have to take these courses here because Florence is known for its art. I took international marketing because I am a marketing major and wanted a real global perspective from the professor. And I thought it’d be fun to learn Italian while I’m here (just kidding the class was required).
I lucked out with my schedule and only have classes on Mondays and Wednesdays! On Monday my classes are from 2-6pm and on Wednesday my classes are from 11am-6pm. I get so tired from this busy block schedule, but it is so worth it because it gives me time to travel and explore from Thursday to Sunday.
Balancing your time is a strength that is extremely vital to studying abroad. So much can happen in one week, and this is why you want to make sure you are on top of your priorities as soon as you can. For me, my laptop’s battery died three weeks into my semester and I had to get it repaired at the Apple Store. They originally said I’d get it back in one week, but it has been three weeks and no luck. On top of these random situations, you might not even be in the country for most of the week. Everything together gives you a solid two days to get your work done for school and make sure you are prepared for the next week. It can all be a very stressful experience if not managed well. But if you do it right, you’re going to have the best time ever.
I was not aware that my classes would have students from other schools. I love this! I have made several friends from all over the USA. Even one of my roommates does not go to Pitt. In some ways, I feel like I’m reliving my first year of college because I am meeting new people every day. I am unsure when and if I will ever run into these friends after my semester abroad, but I sure hope I will.
From the Classroom. To the City. To the World.
College of Business Administration Fall 2017 GBI Buenos Aires GBI Florence GBI London GBI London Accounting GBI Sydney GBI Sydney Sports Business Global Honors Fellowship GSL Bolivia GSL Puerto Rico GSL Trinidad Haller Global Honors Fellowship IIP Berlin IIP Dublin IIP Madrid IIP Paris IIP Prague IIP San Francisco IIP Seoul IIP Stockholm International Internship Program International Internship Program: Dublin Leadership in the Himalayas Panther Program Spring 2018 Spring 2019 Spring 2020 Spring 2021 Spring 2023 Spring 2024 Spring 2025 Spring 2026 Spring Break 2019 Spring Break 2020 Summer 2017 Summer 2018 Summer 2019 Summer 2021 Summer 2022 Summer 2023 Summer 2024 Summer 2025 Summer 2026 Woodcock Global Honors Fellowship