112
Need to hear from a school scholar who did a Research + Internship overseas program in Italy? We just lately caught up with AIFS Overseas participant and Scholar International Management Convention (SGLC) presenter Emily from the College of Arkansas, who spent her spring semester finding out overseas within the historical metropolis of Rome.
Learn on to study extra about Emily’s expertise with the AIFS Overseas Research + Internship program in Rome.
Selecting a Research Overseas Program Vacation spot & Time period
Deciding the place to research or intern overseas will be tough for some college students (our crew may help with that!) as a result of there are such a lot of wonderful locations you’ll be able to go together with AIFS Overseas. Thankfully, irrespective of your vacation spot, you’re in for a life-changing expertise. Hear why Emily selected to review and intern in Rome:
“I selected Rome as a result of I needed to immerse myself in a metropolis wealthy in historical past, tradition, and on a regular basis life that felt totally different from something I’d skilled earlier than. Rome is an ideal mix of historical and trendy, and I beloved the concept of finding out amongst ruins, piazzas, and vibrant native life. Plus, the chance to journey all through Italy and Europe was an enormous bonus.
I’d advocate this program to college students who’re adaptable, open to stepping outdoors their consolation zone, and keen to have interaction with a brand new tradition. It’s nice for college kids who recognize historical past, artwork, and meals, but in addition for individuals who need to problem themselves by navigating a metropolis that doesn’t at all times cater to vacationers. When you’re unbiased but in addition worth a structured assist system, AIFS Overseas in Rome is a good alternative!”
Selecting a time period is one other essential consideration. AIFS Overseas gives wonderful packages throughout all seasons of the yr. You’ll be able to go overseas within the spring or fall semesters, the summer season, and even January Time period! When you’re like Emily and you realize which metropolis you need to research or intern overseas in, this may help you identify which time period is finest for you:
“I selected to review overseas within the spring semester as a result of I needed to expertise Rome because it transitioned from winter into hotter months. Spring felt like the proper steadiness—beginning off with fewer vacationers after which seeing town come alive because the climate improved. It additionally gave me the prospect to expertise distinctive cultural occasions like Carnevale and Easter in Rome, which had been unimaginable to witness.”
Teachers Overseas
No matter which AIFS Overseas program you select, you’ll have programs that can deepen your topic information and make it easier to work in direction of getting your diploma. A few of our packages, like Emily’s, are primarily based in AIFS Overseas International Training Facilities, that are educational establishments designed for worldwide schooling, offering city-specific curricula for college kids and center-based assist. Right here’s what Emily considered her program:
“Whereas overseas, I attended the AIFS Overseas Rome [Global Education Center], which is affiliated with Fairfield College. The expertise was distinctive in that it blended educational studying with a really immersive cultural expertise. The college itself has a powerful liberal arts focus, and I discovered the courses to be participating, with professors who weren’t solely educated but in addition deeply related to town and its historical past.
One side that stood out was how a lot we had been inspired to benefit from Rome itself as a studying atmosphere. We had courses that concerned discipline journeys to museums, historic websites, and even walks across the metropolis, which made the fabric come alive. It wasn’t nearly sitting in a classroom—it was about interacting with the atmosphere and studying by expertise.
The smaller class sizes and the power to have one-on-one conversations with professors helped me really feel supported and engaged. There was additionally a way of neighborhood amongst college students, a lot of whom had been from totally different elements of the world, which made the general expertise really feel [even more] worldwide.”
Research overseas college students like Emily typically discover that their programs overseas are fairly totally different than what they’re used to at their residence universities:
“The curriculum at AIFS Overseas in Rome was one of many highlights of my research overseas expertise. The courses weren’t nearly lectures; they included town itself, making studying really feel extra immersive and interactive. I beloved attending to go to museums with my journey writing class.
At my residence college, courses are sometimes extra structured, lecture-heavy, and centered on grades and deadlines. In distinction, my expertise overseas was extra experiential, discussion-based, and built-in with the encircling atmosphere. It challenged me to study otherwise and made me understand how a lot hands-on studying can improve schooling.
I’d advocate finding out overseas to college students who take pleasure in interactive, versatile studying and cultural exploration—it’s a totally totally different educational expertise from being on a standard faculty campus!”
Internship Expertise Overseas
Emily selected a Research + Internship overseas program, the proper alternative for anybody who can’t determine between research overseas and worldwide internship packages, or who can profit from just a little little bit of each. These distinctive packages embrace courses along with a part-time in-person internship. Emily’s program included two part-time internships at an artwork gallery and occasion planning firm, each of which had been closely concerned in the neighborhood and native points. Hear her talk about her internship schedule and the duties she took on:
“My internship schedule was structured however versatile, reflecting the extra relaxed Italian work tradition. I break up my time between [both internships], which gave me a various expertise in each social justice initiatives and occasion planning.
As a Group Engagement & Occasion Planning Intern, I labored with [both organizations] to advertise social justice initiatives by artwork and neighborhood occasions. My duties included:
- Group Outreach: Assisted in selling art work addressing social injustices throughout the Rome neighborhood, guaranteeing engagement with each native and English-speaking audiences.
- Occasion Coordination: Helped plan and execute fundraisers and neighborhood occasions that raised consciousness for social justice causes.
- Advertising & Promotion: Created content material to promote occasions and exhibitions, guaranteeing broad participation.
- Logistics & Administration: Managed internship logistics independently, together with coordinating occasion particulars, artist collaborations, and promotional campaigns.
- Cultural Adaptation: Labored in a world atmosphere, navigating language and cultural obstacles to successfully contribute to tasks.
This expertise strengthened my expertise in intercultural communication, occasion planning, and neighborhood advocacy whereas offering hands-on expertise in a world nonprofit and humanities setting.”
Work Tradition Overseas
American work tradition is understood for lengthy hours and prioritizing productiveness, oftentimes over well-being. One of many advantages of finding out and/or interning overseas is discovering how totally different the work tradition is outdoors the U.S. Right here’s what Emily needed to say in regards to the work tradition at her internships in Rome:
“The corporate tradition at [my internships] was collaborative, artistic, and deeply rooted in social influence. It was a dynamic, arts-driven atmosphere the place the main focus was on fostering neighborhood engagement and elevating consciousness about social justice points by artwork and occasions. There was a powerful sense of inclusivity, with everybody’s concepts valued, and collaboration was key to reaching the corporate’s objectives. The environment felt extra relaxed in comparison with conventional American workplaces, with a give attention to constructing relationships and belief over formal constructions.
Some of the notable variations from an American work atmosphere was the tempo and construction of the workday. In Italy, there was typically a extra laid-back method, with longer lunch breaks and a larger emphasis on private relationships, which created a extra fluid work schedule. In distinction, American workplaces have a tendency to emphasise effectivity and time administration, typically working on a extra inflexible schedule. There was additionally a stronger emphasis on collective decision-making, with group discussions guiding selections quite than a top-down method that is likely to be extra frequent in some American corporations.
Moreover, in Italy, work and life had been typically extra built-in, with social gatherings and occasions continuously overlapping with skilled actions. This helped create a way of neighborhood, the place work was seen as an extension of non-public values and relationships. In American workplaces, there tends to be a clearer separation between skilled and private lives, with a stronger give attention to productiveness and particular person achievement.”
Profession Alternatives
One cause to decide on an worldwide internship or Research + Internship program is that it expands your profession horizons, permitting you to bolster your resume, develop helpful profession expertise, construct an expert community, and stand out to future employers. As Emily explains:
“The expertise supplied invaluable expertise and insights which have considerably contributed to my profession improvement. The chance to work on social justice initiatives, interact with various communities, and handle occasion logistics has deepened my understanding of advocacy and community-based work. These expertise will instantly inform my future profession in counseling, significantly in household and marriage remedy, the place neighborhood engagement and the power to navigate cultural variations are important.
Moreover, the mentorship I obtained from the management crew and the hands-on expertise in managing tasks has strengthened my capacity to take initiative and work independently—traits that can serve me properly in any future counseling or nonprofit roles. This internship has performed a important function in shaping my skilled trajectory, serving to me construct a powerful basis for my profession in psychological well being and social providers.”
Making Associates Overseas
Whether or not you select to review overseas with mates from residence or set out by yourself is your resolution. Whereas taking that first step can really feel scary, keep in mind that you’ll be making new mates as quickly as you arrive in your program vacation spot, simply as Emily did:
“Constructing each private {and professional} connections whereas overseas was one of the rewarding points of my expertise in Rome. I made an effort to fulfill new individuals by becoming a member of group actions, similar to social occasions organized by my program, attending native meetups, and exploring town with classmates. I additionally made connections with locals by occasions and even in on a regular basis settings, like espresso outlets or markets, the place informal conversations typically led to deeper connections. My recommendation to future members is to take the initiative—don’t await connections to return to you.”
Language Studying
When you’re like Emily and aren’t fluent in one other language, however need to research or intern overseas, don’t fear—you aren’t required to be fluent in one other language. When you don’t want to talk one other language for many packages, many college students like Emily use the chance to enhance their overseas language expertise:
“Throughout my program in Rome, Italian was the first language spoken, and whereas I wasn’t required to know the language fluently to be eligible for this system, a fundamental understanding of Italian was useful. Though many individuals within the metropolis spoke some English, I rapidly realized that figuring out Italian made each day interactions and navigating the native tradition a lot simpler, particularly in additional casual settings.
All through my time in Italy, I labored on bettering my language expertise by actively participating with locals, utilizing language-learning apps, and attending occasions the place I may observe talking. By the top of my internship, I felt extra assured in fundamental conversations, particularly in work-related contexts, similar to speaking with artists and occasion organizers. Whereas my fluency didn’t enhance dramatically, I used to be capable of handle on a regular basis conditions and contribute meaningfully to my work in a bilingual atmosphere.”
Housing
All AIFS Overseas packages embrace scholar housing. Hear about Emily’s housing expertise in Rome:
“Throughout my internship in Rome, I stayed in an condo with three different women. The condo was cozy and situated in a vibrant neighborhood, which made it straightforward to discover town, attend occasions, and meet up with mates. I appreciated that it had a totally geared up kitchen, permitting us to prepare dinner meals and get monetary savings. The shared residing house additionally created a way of camaraderie, as we had been capable of bond over our experiences and benefit from our time collectively.”
Why AIFS Overseas?
Let’s be sincere, if we had been to enter the entire particulars of why college students select AIFS Overseas, we’d be right here all day; as a substitute, let’s hear why Emily selected our program:
“I selected AIFS Overseas due to its sturdy fame for offering immersive research overseas experiences with nice assist methods. I had heard that AIFS Overseas gives a well-organized program with built-in excursions, cultural actions, and internship alternatives, which actually appealed to me. I additionally preferred that AIFS Overseas dealt with quite a lot of the logistics, like housing and visa help, making the transition smoother. Plus, I had heard from previous college students that the workers was actually supportive, and the programs had been participating and transferable to my diploma.
The AIFS Overseas assets, workers, and advising had been extremely useful all through my research overseas expertise, particularly when it got here to offering assist and steerage earlier than, throughout, and after this system. Earlier than I left, the pre-departure supplies had been thorough and supplied helpful data on adjusting to life overseas, navigating cultural variations, and what to anticipate in Italy. The AIFS Overseas workers was at all times obtainable to reply questions and provides recommendation, guaranteeing I felt ready for my journey.
Whereas overseas, the AIFS Overseas workers in Rome was supportive and accessible. They organized cultural excursions and provided alternatives to attach with different college students, which helped ease any emotions of isolation. Some of the helpful assets was mindhamok, a psychological well being device supplied by AIFS Overseas that gave me an area to mirror on my experiences and feelings. Although I discovered psychological well being assets overseas weren’t closely promoted or straightforward to navigate, mindhamok was a fantastic place to begin and helped me keep grounded throughout difficult moments.
The advising I obtained throughout my time overseas was additionally incredible. The AIFS Overseas workers was at all times fast to reply to any considerations or questions I had, they usually made positive I used to be conscious of the assets obtainable to me, each for tutorial and private assist. Submit-program, they continued to verify in and supply steerage as I transitioned again to life at residence. General, AIFS Overseas performed an integral function in making my research overseas expertise smoother and extra enriching.”
Are you a scholar who’s prepared to review and intern overseas like Emily did in Rome? We’d love that can assist you begin your journey!
Right here at AIFS Overseas, we all know a factor or two about serving to faculty college students research and intern overseas. All our packages include many helpful inclusions, which takes quite a lot of the stress out of planning. From coordinating your housing to offering issues like cultural and social actions, excursions, complete insurance coverage, 24/7 emergency assist, on-site workers, and extra, you’ll take consolation in figuring out you’ll have assist all through your whole expertise overseas.
