Got up early one morning to visit the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain

Author: Emily Whitworth | Major: Finance | Semester: Summer 2023

This July, I had the pleasure of studying abroad in Rome, Italy through the University of Arkansas Marketing in Rome program. During my Italian summer month abroad, I wanted to fully immerse myself in Italian culture by eating authentic food, learning the native language, and even traveling to different parts of the country. Although I was able to absorb Italian culture as well as gain six hours toward my Marketing minor; this opportunity also allowed me to grow both personally and professionally.

The Marketing in Rome program in particular piqued my interest because it was through the University of Arkansas and faculty-led, meaning that I would not have to worry about classes transferring and I would not have to face a new country alone. Another reason I chose this study abroad experience was that it was only a month-long compared to a whole semester or just a couple of weeks. I believed a month was the perfect amount of time for me to spend away from my family and friends. In this program, I took two classes, Global Marketing and Consumer Behavior. The objective of these classes was to help merchants in the Ponte neighborhood of Rome come up with a plan to help market their shops to American tourists. To help us achieve this goal, our professors assigned us four LinkedIn articles that had topics that pertained to our research for the marketing plan. As someone who had never written a LinkedIn article before, I found this challenging at first. I did not understand the concept of building my professional brand through these articles; however, after a bit of guidance from my professors, I feel more confident about displaying my brand through my writing. Though these classes still had deadlines for the different assignments and deliverables, I was still able to find time to discover the numerous places that Italy has to offer.

On the weekends, students were able to take trips to any destination they desired. Most of my peers decided to visit different countries throughout Europe, but since I had not explored Italy before this program, I decided to tackle many popular Italian destinations as a solo traveler. My favorite city that I visited was Venice. To get to Venice, I first had to navigate the busy train station in Rome. At a glance, the train station may seem overwhelming, but if you show up 30 minutes before departures and only pay attention to just the train numbers on the information boards it becomes easier to navigate. After a short three-hour train ride, I was in the peaceful yet bustling city. This destination compared to Rome was like a breath of fresh air because of the lack of cars and abundance of water. Venice was full of people from all different areas of the world. I met people from the United States, specifically Florida and Washington, Scotland, and, of course, Italy. Gaining the experience of meeting new people taught me how different parts of the United States and the world operate. It also allowed me to work on my communication skills which is something I struggle with when meeting new people.

Overall, this program was truly an amazing experience. I would recommend this program to anyone interested in studying abroad for a moderate length of time. One thing I cannot stress enough to someone interested in this program is that Rome in July is hot and humid. It is important to pack light and loose clothing and to drink an abundance of water. Both of these things were emphasized to me before this trip, but I thought the heat would be escapable in certain areas when it was not. Something I did not know before the trip was that there are public transportation strikes quite frequently. Sometimes this can put a dent in weekend or morning plans, but as long as you are flexible, the easier and more enjoyable the outcome will be. I believe the Marketing in Rome program is one of the best programs that the University of Arkansas offers for marketing and business students. Though I am sad about my experience being over, I am very excited to be able to drive myself to Chick-fil-A again.