Leaning Tower of Pisa
Author: Jack Polk | Major: Finance
Academics
I chose the CIMBA program originally because I had a few good buddies all to the program the year before. But once I started to research it on my own and it’s focus on business and not just a general study abroad that really caught my attention. The program went above and beyond my expectations with my own education and advanced my goals at the University of Arkansas by helping me complete my minor in blockchain analysis, and allowing my more free time for the fall semester so that I would be able to work at local real estate firms and gain some experience before graduation. Additionally the classes and professors at CIMBA are phenomenal. Not only are they aware of the importance of allowing students free time to study abroad and enjoy their time in Italy, they were also very effective in communicating larger ideals and messages that will stick with me for a long time. They are able to do this because of the unique class structure. Classes are once a day in the morning, and each class allows one field trip each week to local spots in Italy. This allowed the students to not only learn about different locations, but to also grow closer to the professors which added an entire new element to the education process.
Culture
The cultural experiences I gained in Italy are difficult to express in this simple blog post. For example, in Cinque Terre Italy a group of our students took a massive pirate ship around the gulf of poets from La Spezia port. This experience with local sailors, drinking Prosecco wine made from grapes grown 10 minutes away, viewing Italian mountain ranges at sunset was truly an indescribable memory that my friends and I will always treasure. Additionally, near the school is a beautiful town called Bassano del grappa which is about as local Italian as you can get while still having plenty of restaurants and shops to hang out at. One night after school a group of us went to Bassano to hang out, and when we went to a local pub the locals absolutely loved us Americans. They even bought us a large carton of grapes as we argued about which Spanish soccer team was best.
Advice
My advice to students is simple: go to CIMBA. This program perfectly combines a deep Italian experience with providing a safe haven for students to commingle with other American college students. One thing I wish I had known before coming to Italy regards their value system. If you expect Italy to be the most efficient place ever with perfect air conditioning and impeccable service you will be disappointed. This, however, doesn’t mean Italy is a worse country. It simply means they have different values than we do. They value quality time and enjoying loved ones company in a very enjoyable way. I quickly learned the beauty in a long lunch by the countryside with an espresso. However, I would have never found this beauty if I viewed the Italians with an American lens. Basically you have to have an open mind, and if you do it will be an insanely beneficial experience for you. And while I will be buying two spicy chicken sandwiches from Chick Fil A as soon as I get back, I wouldn’t trade learning those values and seeing the beauty in my surroundings for anything.