Exchange in Italy
During her Human Resources studies at University West Anna Collin went on an exchange semester to Milan, Italy, to study at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore.
Anna describes her experience as an exchange student as enriching. She says that the semester abroad went from feeling like a long vacation, to eventually becoming a new everyday life.“Studying at a university in another country with a different school system has been interesting” she says. “Adapting to a new culture and meeting new people has taught me a lot about myself and others.”
Creating memories
Of course the semester abroad included a lot of studying, but the best memories Anna brings with her home to Sweden are from the times spent not studying.
“From Milan you can easily reach other cities such as Como, Verona and Florence by train. Although, the best trip was when we rented a car and took a road trip through Tuscany together with a group of friends I met here”.These are also the times she will miss the most.
“I will miss the people I’ve met here. Since a lot of us didn’t have our families and friends around we did almost everything together, which made us really close. I will also miss the excitement about constantly discovering new places and learning from the experiences that come with it. Of course, also the food! The pasta-pizza-diet did not disappoint” Anna says.
It was sometimes challenging
Before leaving Sweden Anna was aware that there would be a language-barrier since her Italian skills are “non-existent”. But she put her faith in the possibility to communicate in English.
“To my surprise, not many people know English, even people my age” she says.
Other than some language difficulties, Anne also found it challenging to live in a shared apartment – at times.
“Sharing a kitchen with 11 people, from nationalities all around the world, has been a little crowded sometimes. It requires some planning and a lot of patience, but it has also resulted in some good stories” she says.
Advice to other students
Anna says “do it!” to anyone considering going abroad during their studies. Even though there’s some hurdles to jump through before departure it’s worth it, according to Anna.
She also has some other tips:
“Save money, so that you can enjoy your new city but also be able to travel around. Don’t worry! Some things might seem complicated, like choosing courses or finding a place to live, but things will work out in the end.”
