Part of the reason I was able to both study abroad in Italy and stay on track for graduation was due to the classes offered by the Capa program. The most important classes I’m taking are International marketing and Managing Global Supply Chains. While these classes are offered at Pitt, it’s been really interesting taking these internationally based classes abroad. I am also taking sculpting, which has been really fun!
In order to be successful in this academic environment, I think the most important skills and strengths to have is organization and communication. While it might be easy to travel every weekend and explore on the weekdays, it can be difficult to remember at times this isn’t a vacation, and we as students still have the same responsibilities we would have in Pittsburgh. Thus, while traveling every weekend is still feasible, it’s very important to stay organized and have efficient time management skills to stay on track with our academics. Additionally, we are not home, so when things go unplanned (such as me spraining my ankle), it was far more difficult to deal with the situation than had I been in Pittsburgh. But thorough communication with Pitt, Capa, and my professors really helped the situation work out.