As my time in Florence comes to end, I have come to realize all the new things I have learned in the last 6 weeks. It’s hard to believe that not to long ago I had not experienced and seen what I have now. I visited more than 10 cities in Italy, met so many new friends, and have learned so much about myself and the world around me and I could not be more thankful for these experiences.
Taking a deeper dive into the skills that I have developed while I have been away has been an interesting way of seeing how study abroad changes you. A few of the soft skills that I have developed are flexibility and determination. Something I have noticed in my classes are that it’s never the same thing on a daily basis. It’s not like classes at Pitt, where you get into a routine and know what to expect before each lecture because the schedule never really changes. My classes here in Florence are a lot more than just lectures and note taking, so it’s harder to get into a routine. Some days were in class taking notes while other days were walking around Florence touring businesses in person and seeing things first hand. This is something that I have come to like very much because it helps you understand the concepts you learn in class in the real world. It allows you to ask questions and picture you doing certain things for your career in the future. Another soft skill that I have noticed is my time management and determination improving. It’s definitely a challenge living in a beautiful historic city with so much to do and see and dedicating time to academics. I would find myself not wanting to attend class so that I could go an do others things. Though this was not an option, so I would have to know how to spend my time to get the most out of each. I figured out a routine to get my work done in advance, so that I could explore Italy as well. This showed that I was determined to do well in my classes, but also make the most of my time here.
Some of the hard skills that I have developed are hands on experience with creating international marketing plans and research skills. In my marketing class we were tasked with taking a real company that is not yet in the Italian market and make a complete plan on how to bring them here. This allowed me to have first hand experience researching and developing marketing plans which is something that I will likely have to do in my career. Another hard skill that I gained was research. For my Exploring the Global City class, we were assigned a neighborhood in Florence where we needed to interview locals and collect data to support a claim. This allowed me to learn more about the area and collect primary research first hand.
These skills have helped a lot with my personal, professional, and academic goals. For example, one of my personal goals is always to improve confidence and being here in Italy I have seen a huge difference in it. In my marketing class we had to do a lot of presentations in front of class which was something I was always scared of. Now that I’ve had to do them so often I feel very confident in my presenting abilities. When it comes to professional goals I am always trying to network with others in order to learn about new opportunities. I have met so many students from other schools and have gotten to talk to many Italians who work in the field I hope to go into after school. Finally, when it comes to my academic goals I have been able to broaden my perspectives and be exposed to new ways of teaching. I have enjoyed the hands on learning that we do here and it has made a huge difference in my understanding of material.
