This is a picture of me in Corfu, Greece, which was one of the many weekend trips that I took with friends during the program.

Author: Collin Thompson | Major: Biology | Semester: Summer 2023

As I stood 15 feet above the clear blue water, watching large blue fish swim underneath me, I had a moment of pause. A moment where I began to reflect on the past three weeks and expectantly look forward to the remaining two weeks. I couldn’t believe that I was actually here, in Sorrento, Italy. The entire year I had been looking forward to this moment, and here it was. I heard my classmates yelling my name and encouraging me to jump. Moments later I found myself surfacing the water and looking back up at the cliff that I had just jumped from with a smile on my face. I threw my goggles on and joined the rest of my class in our snorkeling field trip for our Marine Biology class.

My name is Collin Thompson. I am a Biology major and I studied through the CIS summer program Summer Study + Intern on the Italian Coast. As I was first looking into studying abroad, I was initially drawn to programs that took place in South America. I was drawn to the tropical environments and the potential to take biology courses that centered around the biodiversity in the area. One day, however, I stumbled upon the Summer Study + Intern on the Italian Coast Program through CIS Abroad. This program filled all of my requirements in a program: offered a Marine Biology course, was near the ocean, and had lots of local excursions that provided even more learning opportunities. This program helped advance my academic goals by giving me unique learning experiences that also contributed to my graduation requirements. While in Italy, I took Marine Biology and Archaeology. The Marine Biology course allowed me to take a biology class that differed from any of the classes offered at the University of Arkansas. The majority of the biology classes that I take at the U of A center around biology and the human body or general biological concepts like cell biology. Through taking this class, I was able to study a new sector of biology. The archaeology class allowed me to learn about a topic that was different from anything that I learn during the school year. Again, my major is biology, so the majority of my classes are science focused. Taking Archaeology was a nice break to my typically heavy science load. In terms of professional goals, taking Marine Biology and Archaeology has made me a more well-rounded applicant. I would like to attend medical school, so having taken these unique classes, I believe that I will stand out more in an applicant pool because I will have a broader base of knowledge than those coming in with solely science backgrounds. The Marine Biology and Archaeology courses that I took while in Italy were through the Sant’Anna Institute. The institute was great about providing services to students such as free therapy sessions, free cooking classes, and free excursions. Their classes were equally impressive. My Marine Biology class was taught by Domenico Sgambati who, outside of class, is an actual marine biologist. He took us on field trips to go snorkeling, see a local sea turtle rescue center, and visit a historical aquarium. Through these field trips and class lectures, I was able to see a new side of biology that I had not yet been able to study. My Archaeology Class was taught by Ilaria Tartaglia. She is a former archaeologist that worked at Pompeii, and she took us on field trips to the ancient sites of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Oplontis. Both of the courses that I took did a great job of combining field trips with lectures to help us learn the material in a fun and effective way. The biggest difference between the classes that I took in Italy and the classes that I have taken at the U of A were that my classes in Italy implemented field trips. Our professors took us to places that we were talking about in our lessons and did their best to make lectures an interactive experience. The classes in Italy were also much smaller, and it felt like I could make more personal connections with the instructors. Although this is primarily due to my major and the courses that I am taking, my classes at the U of A are typically very large and not as personal.

A nice surprise in Italian culture that I experienced was that they take gluten allergies very seriously. I have Celiac Disease which means that I am allergic to gluten, and I was worried about eating while in Italy because I knew it would be lots of pasta and pizza. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that many restaurants had gluten free pizza and pasta options. The local pharmacies also had entire sections dedicated to gluten free food.

I would highly recommend this program to other students because they do a great job at providing engaging classes with knowledgeable professors, fun excursions that helped us explore Sorrento, and information sessions and advice on how to make the most out of your experience. It sounds trivial, but I wish that I had known beforehand how people would be dressing in Italy. I knew that they dressed nicer than people in the United States, however, I wasn’t sure what exact items to bring, so I ended up overpacking. For example, I brought two pairs of jeans and did not end up wearing either one of them. I also wish that I had known how ordering in restaurants worked. For example, if you want water you have to order it, and you have to specify that you want still water rather than sparkling. You also have to get the waiter’s attention if you want to order or if you want the check. Otherwise, they will give you space so that they do not interrupt conversations that are happening at the table. The first thing that I am doing when I return home is washing my clothes, packing my bags, and heading to a summer camp to finish the summer working as a camp counselor.