I have been putting a lot of effort into going abroad since it’s something I’ve been looking forward to trying for myself. I’ve heard great things about Rome, Italy and I’m grateful to have scholarships covering the majority cost of the program. Many of the people that I have spoken to about this opportunity have expressed their happiness and said that they either wanted to study abroad or valued their abroad experience. The advice and feedback I received was so positive and encouraging that I felt more comfortable about my decision to travel abroad.
I will say that preparing to study abroad was a lot more stressful and difficult than I anticipated. I had to consistently remain in contact with staff in both the UA Education Abroad program and the API host staff. I was also worrying about dates and information that one side was lacking that could have been crucial in the process of getting to study abroad. There were many a bump in the road, but I typically was worrying about turning in money on time and staying on top of my requirements due to the scholarships I received to study abroad. I did enjoy attending the travel workshops that Sarah Kidwell held for those that received the Roll Tide Worldwide Scholarship as they were insightful and fun. The PDOs held by both UA and API were helpful in finding information towards health and safety, the cultural expectations in Rome, and how to properly manage classes.
Overall, the amount of support and willingness to help was very insightful. However, I will say that the amount of information can be overwhelming haha!
I’m so excited and nervous to travel to Rome!
