Bryan School Study Abroad Program
Audrey Lisk
Marketing Major
LIUC in Castellanza, Italy
How It Began:
I first thought about studying abroad when I attended the SOAR session during the summer before my freshman year of college, however, at that time I was not mentally ready to go abroad. Soon I was busy with school and had pushed studying abroad out of my mind, until I was talking with my mom’s best friend and she started telling me about her college days and how she had studied in the UK. She said it was the best time of her life and that I should start looking into it again. I applied and went abroad my junior year of college and could not be more thankful for the life-changing experience.
Castellanza, Italy:
LIUC is a small school of about 3,000 students in the town of Castellanza, located approximately 35 minutes outside of Milano, Italy. The school itself is in a restored cotton mill that was renovated by the famous architect Aldo Rossi. Some of the advantages of attending a smaller school are that you get to know local students very well and have more one-on-one attention from professors.
LIUC is known around northern Italy as a prestigious school where political figures and top business associates send their children. You are able to learn a lot about the made in Italy products, such as silk, sunglasses, and high fashion because of the great connections these students have from their parents.
Accommodations:
I lived on campus in the dorm building. All international students are on the second floor mixed in with Italian students. Each room has its own bathroom and there is a communal kitchen on the second and third floors of the building. Each room also comes with a small refrigerator, TV, and lots of cabinet space. The first floor has a café with sandwiches and great coffee! The town of Castellanza also has great little cafés that are really inexpensive.
Traveling:
One of the best advantages of studying abroad is getting to travel. If you are worried about going abroad alone and that no one will want to travel with you, I promise it is easy to find people willing to go places with you. While I was abroad I went on two school-sponsored trips around Italy and also traveled own my own around Italy, Germany, The Czech Republic, The Netherlands, and France. It is very inexpensive to travel around Europe because of the great train systems and low cost airlines such as EasyJet and Ryan Air.
Program Impact:
Before studying abroad I never thought I would live outside of North Carolina, let alone outside of the States. Now I have plans after graduation to get an internship or job abroad and travel around for a few years. I now have friends all over the world that I want to visit and have free places to stay!
My Advice:
- After I packed my bags for Italy, I went back through and unpacked half of it. You end up coming home with a lot more then you brought. Over-packing is a big problem.
- Be outgoing. People are interested about your culture, background, lifestyle, and where you come from.
- Make the most of your time abroad. Four months fly by!
- Be patient and know you are in a different culture (even when you may get frustrated). Try to appreciate the differences.