Ciao, my name is Erin and I am a junior transfer student in the School of Business at Pitt. I am majoring in finance with an economics minor. I am from Virginia and have spent my past summers working as a patient care coordinator at a medical spa. Outside of school and work I love to spend time with my friends and family trying new places to eat, going to fun events like sports games or festivals, and watching movies. I also clearly love to travel…

This fall I am completing my semester abroad in Florence, Italy through Pitt Business’ Global Business Institute! Florence was the perfect city for me since I have never been here, (or in Italy) and it is very exciting getting to explore a city with so much history and culture all around. It is also extremely walkable, so it doesn’t feel so overwhelming even though it is a big change being abroad. Another pro is the amazing food you can find all over Florence! The program and classes offered are amazing for understanding the global aspects of business while also allowing me to expand my cultural knowledge. For example, I am taking International Economics, International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior, Italian, and an Italian literature class. My goal in these classes is to expand my understanding of global markets and cross-cultural communication. There are many opportunities for me to get insight into how businesses operate internationally. 

My host university is quite different from Pitt as it is a lot smaller and operates out of just two buildings. Most professors are from Europe, but teach in English. As far as classes, they are kept small and rely on discussion throughout the lectures. I am liking how there is a lot of group work and activities throughout classes, because it keeps me engaged and gives us the chance to analyze real global situations.

I am living in a shared apartment just about 20 a minute walk outside of the city center. I have three roommates from different university’s around the US, so we have all enjoyed sharing our experiences and adapting to this new one together. Our neighborhood area seems to be around a lot of locals, so we are truly getting to experience living like a Florentine. We are down the street from a great park and our local grocery store. There are tons of cafes and restaurants around us that I can’t wait to explore throughout the next few months. I have even noticed a morning market on my way to class, so I will need to plan extra time in my morning commute to check that out soon. Overall it has been a smooth and exciting transition filled with lots of new experiences and tons of pizza and pasta.