I am super excited about the Milan Study Abroad Program with Professor Gupta and my fellow peers. In this blog post, I will be talking about my expectations for the Academic Enrichment Abroad for both classes, the internship, and my cultural immersion. For Professor Gupta’s Corporate Social Responsibility course, I expect to come to class every day with an open mind and ready to discuss the intersection between business and society. I will be prepared for class each week by reading the required text and taking notes. I expect Professor Gupta to encourage and reward participation. I expect my classmates to be respectful in our discussions. However, I do expect to get into some intense arguments in our class debates.

For the Internship Seminar, I expect to about the Italian language and culture. I expect to get along with Professor Swain and include her as a member of our group. I hope to learn classic Italian recipes to impress my non-abroad peers (Canollis are my favorite thing ever). On the flip side of this class, I also expect to develop as a professional. I expect to update my resume, LinkedIn, and other professional media. I expect to learn how to better approach the application process for future positions. I expect to become better and more prepared for future interviews by using tips and practicing.

For the actual internship, I expect to put full effort into whatever position I am needed in. I expect to work a decent amount of hours each week and to get part of Fridays off. I expect that the work I am doing is either beneficial to the company or beneficial to my development as an individual. I hope that my internship has to do with either Engineering or Finance, but if not, I hope it is an interesting subject. I expect to become friends with my coworkers and go out to meals with them. I expect to be treated like an equal individual and not someone lesser. I expect to be able to talk about the experience in future internship applications and interviews.

For the cultural immersion, I expect to learn more about European culture from the first-person point of view. I expect to visit cafes, restaurants, and other locations around Milan with members of the group. I expect to try out some Italian language that I learned in class with the locals and hopefully not sound like a fool (I know I will). I expect to spend a lot of time doing various activities with this group, including cooking meals, playing games, and exploring the city. I expect to travel to other destinations around Europe, like France, Germany, Switzerland, etc. I expect to participate in our group trips and dinners.