Studying Abroad Helps to Prepare You for an International Career

Your college years are a time of expansive learning, adventure and hopefully fun! Taking time to study in Italy for a semester, summer or year can broaden your horizons and teach you important linguistic and cultural skills. Italian is a romance language, and as such, is linguistically related to English, French and Spanish. Although learning Italian may be challenging at first, your ear for the language will be facilitated by your native language and your familiarity with other romance languages.

Studying Abroad Helps to Prepare You for an International Career

Learning a new language is just the tip of the iceberg when you go for an extended time period to study abroad in Italy. If you choose to stay with an Italian family as a foreign exchange student, you will learn both the language and the culture much more quickly because of your immediate immersion into all things Italian! Learning a new culture can also help you to quickly develop the sensitivity, awareness and cultural understanding necessary to successfully pursue an international career. Studying abroad in Italy will hone your interpersonal skills and deepen your understanding of other cultures.

Study Abroad Scholarships are Available

If you would love to study the culture, history and language of Italy, but aren't sure if you can afford it, there are scholarships available. A college education can be costly, and often students take out federal and private student loans to cover the expenses. If you are receiving financial assistance through your college or university, you may also qualify for a scholarship to study for a semester or longer in Italy. If you are not receiving financial aid, you still may qualify for a scholarship to study abroad. Please contact your college's financial aid office for more information about available scholarships and to see which study abroad scholarships you are qualified to receive.

With some financial assistance through a private scholarship, you will be able to immerse yourself in the rich and varied history, architecture, art, and culinary delights of the old world. Imagine sipping an espresso on the Piazza Navona after viewing contemporary artwork in a local art gallery in Rome, and then visiting the Roman Colosseum as the afternoon sun slowly sets over the horizon. Spending time studying in Italy will also afford you the opportunity to visit the resplendent Vatican and the Pantheon.

Taking some time to study in Italy for a semester, summer or year is very exhilarating and exciting. It is also a great way to prepare for an international career in our globalized economy. Studying abroad expands your horizons and teaches you cultural flexibility and sensitivity. It also deeps your knowledge and appreciation of current events and politics affecting areas of the world outside of the United States. Another benefit of studying abroad is that it teaches you a new language, which has been clinically shown to increase the efficient functioning of the brain. And, of course, it is very exciting and fun to travel to another county and experience a completely different culture way of experiencing the world.

Visit John Cabot University for more information about study in Italy.

By M. Patrick Quinn