Me visiting the Colosseum for the first time.

Author: Emma Bracken | Major: English | Semester: Summer 2025

This summer, I studied abroad in Rome, Italy, at the University of Arkansas Rome Center for the Summer I Session. I chose this program because of the interesting interdisciplinary nature of the course that appealed to both my English and History studies, as well as its location in the city of Rome. Studying history in Rome felt like such a unique and important opportunity because it is home to so many museums, monuments, artifacts, and other tangible historical information. Living in the middle of the United States, we often have less access to museums with famous art pieces, ancient to early modern architecture, and foundational cultural and religious sites. Getting to travel to a city with important living pieces of history from so many different points in time was such an amazing opportunity. I was in Rome for 5 weeks for the Summer I Session, with one weekend being a full program trip to Florence. Just like in Rome, Florence offered access to incredible pieces of art and history that are unlike anything we have at home. During the session, I took two courses focused on life in the Renaissance period in Rome and across Italy, as well as explored ideas of self-fashioning identity and the cultural shifts across this period. The time we did not spend in the classroom we did several museum trips and site visits across Rome, where we were able to see the concepts we talked about in class, such as architecture, iconography, and wealth, physically imprinted across the city. Particularly, we had a class visit to the Vatican Museums, where we were able to admire some of the amazing Renaissance art while also seeing how our readings on Renaissance religion  and culture still influence this powerful and important religious power of the Vatican.

My advice for other students thinking about or planning to study abroad is to learn about the culture of the palace they are travelling to an be prepared to adapt and change your habits while you’re there. Studying abroad is such a different experience than regular tourism, because it is an opportunity to really live in a place like the locals. For me, learning things beforehand such as how to eat like a local, common phrases to use in Italian, how to travel around the city, and how to dress appropriately, helped me adjust better when I arrived and kep me from feeling completely overwhelmed by cultural differences. I also felt by the end of the program that I knew the place so intimately and had really experienced life there rather than a quick trip. Learning how to adapt and adjust to one country’s culture also helped me feel prepared to travel more in the future and know how to create more meaningful experiences and see beyond my own habits and comfortability when travelling. So, in general, my advice is to start learning about your destination and get excited, but also open yourself up to learning and changing while you’re there, because that is one of the greatest gifts that travel can offer you.