If you’re an adventurous student looking to get something more out of your education, studying abroad offers a wide range of benefits. You can improve your Italian language skills, for example, practicing with native speakers in the streets and piazzas of Rome. You can broaden your understanding of the world through firsthand experience of Italian culture, learning how people live in a country many consider the birthplace of Western civilization. You can taste authentic regional Italian cuisine, visit ancient ruins, and see some of the world’s most famous art. You can even give your CV a boost by showing employers that you’re independent, self-motivated, and experienced with cross-cultural communication.
For many students who choose to study abroad, however, one of the biggest benefits is the opportunity to reflect on their own lives and cultures, and discover who they truly are, in a new environment free from the expectations, habits, and routines of life at home.
Here’s why studying in Italy could be your key to self-discovery:
One of the ways that studying abroad can help students gain a clearer understanding of themselves is simply by taking them out of the habits, routines, expectations, and culture that define their life back home. By studying abroad, students get the space and freedom they need to reflect critically on who they are, what they want, and what truly matters to them.
Self-discovery doesn’t have to be a solo journey, either. Those in study abroad programs often quickly form lasting friendships with their fellow students, bonding over the intense shared experience of finding their way in a new and unfamiliar country. With the diverse range of students studying at an American university in Italy, you can make connections with people you would never meet in your day-to-day life back home, which can be a great way not only to learn from those of different backgrounds, but also to gain a greater understanding of yourself.
Studying abroad can be an empowering experience. Making friends, finding your way around an unfamiliar city, and learning a new language can help you discover talents and skills that might not be so frequently used in day-to-day life back home. By confronting unfamiliar situations and overcoming these exciting new challenges, you can show yourself just what you’re capable of, and feel more confident in yourself and your abilities.
Studying abroad can also help students develop a worldly perspective. By living in Italy, you can gain insights into the values and ideas that bring people together, as well as the differences in lifestyles that can only be discovered through firsthand experience.
In many cases, we lose sight of what makes our culture unique and how our upbringing in a particular social environment might have shaped the beliefs and habits we’ve adopted. Experiencing a new culture can bring these differences to light and give you the type of insight that only living abroad can provide.
Are you ready to discover yourself in Italy?
Contact John Cabot University if you’d like to study abroad in Rome.