Exploring Prague
Author: Matthew Ahern | Major: Supply Chain Management
My name is Matthew Ahern and I am currently a senior pursuing a degree in Supply Chain Management from the University of Arkansas. This past semester, I’ve had the privilege of studying abroad in Paderno del Grappa, Italy through the CIMBA program. I originally chose this program for three reasons. The first was because of the location. Italy, specifically northern Italy, was somewhere I had always wanted to travel. Having the opportunity to study there for 90 days without a visa sounded like an amazing opportunity that I couldn’t pass. The second reason was the academics. As a business major, being able to study abroad and take classes that are relevant to what I was learning in college was essential. CIMBA happened to have a partnership with the University of Iowa, so credit transfer was very easy and transparent. The third reason was due to my home life and circumstances. I had been working while also attending classes online for the last year and a half due to Covid, so the thought of being able to uproot myself into a completely new culture and “get away from it all” was a really big selling point.
Academically and professionally, this was one of the best experiences I’ve had while in college. In academics, I was able to take 16 credit hours (In less than 3 months) while being taught by ex-pat professors who were all relevant within their field of study. Every one of my professors was eager to share their real-world experiences and stories, and overall made the classroom environment of 10-20 students very engaging. I was able to go on company tours, formal dinners, and leadership events such as L.I.F.E. that helped to further develop my international business knowledge as well. As far as class structure, I was in classes Monday-Friday with 2-3 two hour long classes a day. The classes were similar to my Walton classes’ structure in that it was a lecture style format, but with anywhere from 8-20 people per class there was a lot of room for group discussions and collaboration.
Culturally, the CIMBA experience was not your standard study abroad. The town of Paderno del Grappa is very small, and that’s coming from someone who has spent the last seven years in Northwest Arkansas. Your average week consists of going to classes from 8:45am – 5pm and you have no car or real public transportation. While these seem like big obstacles, there was a sports bar on campus where many Americans would go at the end of the day, as well as a local pizzeria. Also, there were taxis on call that could take us to nearby bigger towns, but many of the students in the program preferred to stay around campus for the duration of the week. Once the weekend came around after Friday classes were out, everyone was out and about to explore Italy and the rest of Europe. Planning weekend trips with the other American students I had met when I arrived was one of my favorite pastimes, as well as going out and meeting some of the locals who lived around Paderno. The biggest advantage of the CIMBA program location is that you can choose to immerse yourself in the “small Italian town” vibe, or you can plan to visit a bigger city or country for a weekend trip. This program gives you the option of choosing to live like a tourist or a local. Many of the other business programs are centered around big cities in Europe, but the location gives you the option to choose how you want to experience a new culture.
As far as advice I’d give for anyone interested in CIMBA or studying abroad in general: What you put into the program is what you get out. If you’re expecting your study abroad to feel like a vacation 24/7 on an all-inclusive resort, you’re likely going to be disappointed. In my experience I saw people having the best times when they were prepared financially, made some new travel buddies, and didn’t break down when something went wrong. Also, CIMBA specifically, please go out of your comfort zone and become friends with local people. You might not 100% understand their English while they might not understand 100% of your Italian, but I can confidently say that being able to hang out and engage with the locals was a major unexpected blessing. While I was studying on campus with 50+ of my American friends I had met a group of about 5-6 locals that were my age, and they exposed me to new places, restaurants, bars, and activities that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise. Also my Italian buddies having cars was a nice perk too. I would recommend this program to anyone that is looking for an opportunity to travel and experience the real Italy and Europe, while taking classes that are relevant to what they’re learning.