Statue in Napoli Archaeological Museum: definitely should have played basketball

Author: William Wood | Majors: Economics and Political Science

My name is William Wood and I’m an economics and political science major in the Fulbright college. I initially chose the Rome Campus over other study abroad programs because I loved the city of Rome, but I was hesitant because I knew no one going and I’d never been abroad before. Now, I am certain that this was one of the best decisions of my life. Not only did I meet incredible professors and roommates, I got to experience school in a completely new culture and it reinvigorated my academic ambition. The students were fantastic, because most of them (and especially my roommates) were there to have an amazing experience and learn something about Italian culture. Surrounding myself with likeminded people created an atmosphere of academic success and ambition that was contagious to me. I made some new best friends, and did a project with them that took us on an adventure around Rome. We filmed ourselves stumbling over Italian and eating too many appetizers. It was like we were in a dream. But more influential than the students were the faculty and teachers. I have never met such a top-tier, complete group of faculty in my life. Obviously they have a dream job, but they kept up the great spirits all the time and made learning exciting. One class in particular, taught by Professor Camilla Lai, was my favorite. Professor Lai treated us as adults and ran the class like a graduate-level-style class. What I mean by that, is that there are less assignments and more collaborative lectures. With a small class size, only 9 students, we could take the lectures in any direction that was most interesting to us. Also, Professor Lai expected us to answer her questions- they weren’t rhetorical questions that she would just pause and then answer the question herself. She wanted us to answer, and there was also no pressure to be correct. She also would actually listen and rebuttal or affirm our answers, which is exciting to me because it opens a direct dialogue over the subject. The class is much more engaging this way, and yet surprisingly more casual because it is okay to speak out in class and we’re not burying our heads taking notes.

I could not speak enough about the culture. It’s cheesy to say “when in Rome,” but truly there were so many instances of things we saw or did that could only be explained by the fact we were living in Rome. For example, I told my roommates one night that I was in a mood for pizza and we had literally eaten pizza every day that week. Unexplainable madness. My favorite experiences were the sightseeing, particularly St. Peter’s Basilica and Pompeii. Rome is also situated a train ride away from anywhere in Italy, so we also went to Florence, Naples, and Orvieto. Our apartment was next door to a popular restaurant run by a brother and sister: Mama Maria and Giulio. When we told them we lived next door, they basically became our parents and lavished free food on us and called at us every time we walked by. It was sad to say bye to them our last week and for our final meal they invited us back after the restaurant had closed to enjoy fruit and cake with them.

As for any students interested in studying abroad, make it your number one priority of your undergraduate career. These may be your only years of freedom to go travel, and there are countless scholarships waiting to be picked up. Someone is getting the scholarship money, might as well be you. And once you get there, don’t let yourself get distracted by social media or finances. Live it up. A month or semester is nothing compared to the rest of your life, so take in every second. Preparation beforehand goes a long way once you are there, but part of being abroad is learning how to problem solve and be adaptable, so expect problems no matter what. But above all enjoy it! Eat food! Take lots of pictures! Because studying abroad is certainly a highlight of your life that you will tell stories of forever.