SAI Study Abroad: John Cabot University (Rome, Italy)

Studying abroad with SAI is the best decision that I've ever made. SAI helped me throughout the entire process, from pre-departure, while in Rome, having to come home in the middle of the semester due to COVID-19, and afterward. SAI provides you with a ton of resources to make the process of applying for visas, booking flights, and obtaining a permit to stay as easy as possible. While in Rome, SAI gave us many opportunities to get to know the other students in the program and learn more about the city and country that we were staying in. The amount of students was perfect because there was a small enough group to where we all knew each other's faces but a large enough group to where we could meet new people and have different friend groups. COVID-19 put a huge amount of stress on the students in the program, but the on-site staff helped us through the entire process by providing assistance in arranging flights and reassuring us and giving us kind words throughout the entire process. SAI made the difficult (but responsible and correct) decision to send all students home when some universities did not make the decision for themselves. When I arrived home, SAI staff reached out to make sure that I had settled back into life in the United States and worked to provide us with as much of a refund from the time that we had to leave early. I loved every moment that I got to spend in Rome and without SAI I would not have been able to enjoy my experience as much as I did.

I studied abroad for an entire semester in Rome through SAI and it was undoubtedly the best experience I've had in my life. I ate some incredible food, witnessed incredible places, met and connected with people who have changed my life, and learned much about myself. It was a semester of self-exploration and global-exploration! I have come back to the States as a culturally competent and well-rounded person who is able to adapt to situations. I became close friends with Alessandra and Jordan, the coordinators from SAI, and I truly enjoyed their company and learning from them. During my time abroad, I pursued the Global Leadership Certificate SAI offers which has supplemented my resume.

I learned so much during my time abroad. I had the ability to travel a LOT which was incredible, I learned so much about other countries and was able to do it with amazing friends. I had so much fun with everyone I met and being in a program helped me significantly when it came to simple questions to questions about visas and passports. An awesome thing about SAI is we had so many awesome excursions we were able to do including cooking classes, tours, etc. I loved my experience and would do it again in a heartbeat. There were a bunch of very funny experiences as well, relating to traveling and friends. One piece of advice is to check twice, buy once. We had so many mess-ups with traveling which at the time sucked but looking back is pretty funny. I would say if I have any recommendation, say yes, say yes to exploring the city, take the time to really get to know your home city and know that once you get home you'll want to be back.

SAI made it very easy for me to transition to life in Rome. They relieved so much of the stress of applying for housing, getting health insurance, and getting a meal plan. I was able to focus on school and adjusting to a new culture. They had cooking classes for us to participate in. A native Roman taught us how to prepare local dishes and we were able to take home what we made! We also went on excursions as a group. This was a great way to meet other students that were also studying abroad. We visited places that were not easily accessible compared to major cities. I was able to visit the beautiful region of Umbria and tour Assisi. Overall, I had an amazing time and met so many new people abroad! Rome was a very safe city and had so much culture. I would definitely do it all over again!

I can't put into words how much I would encourage study abroad. SAI made me feel so comfortable and safe in such a scary experience! I would go back in a heart beat. I gained so much confidence and Independence through this experience that have already shaped so many of my career choices. Make sure you take advantage of traveling and meeting people throughout the country you are living in and try new foods! We lived in an apartment and the rest of the apartment building was all people who lived in Rome, really allowing us to be immersed into the culture. SAI also taught us all about public transportation and we really did become experts which helped when exploring Rome and feeling safe by yourself. There was a language course provided for a day during the first weekend there which was optional but it also helped so much!

It would be an understatement to say that I was nervous before leaving to go study in Rome for four months. However, through SAI, my worries went away shortly after arriving. Everything with SAI was incredibly organized and well planned out, from getting picked up from the airport, to all the planned activities and experiences throughout the semester. The onsite coordinators were always available and willing to help us with anything throughout my semester abroad, they were so caring and full of great suggestions. Additionally, the apartment that I stayed in through SAI was wonderful, so spacious and in a great location.

During my semester abroad I learned a ton about myself and became so much more independent and confident. I had so many new and incredible experiences and I made so many new lifelong friends. These four months in Rome were some of the best of my life and I am so glad I decided to study through SAI. Studying in Rome through SAI was one of the best decisions I ever made for myself.

SAI made my experience what it was- beautiful and memorable. I learned so much about the culture while still remaining comfortable with my own cultural ideals. My housing situation was great, I had a gorgeous flat and an amazing roommate. I made some forever friends along with forever memories. I have considered going back abroad, a thought that did not occur prior to my experience abroad with SAI.

Choosing to study abroad was the best decision I have ever made. It is an experience unlike any other and I would recommend it to anyone. It was amazing to fully immerse myself in a country that I had never been before. Rome was a beautiful city with so much history and culture to learn about. I was able to become so familiar with all the places around me and really started to feel like a local. It was also so much fun being able to travel on the weekends. I studied abroad for 5 weeks and then stayed an additional 3 weeks afterwards. During my program I never once felt like I was there for too long, if anything I was not there long enough! I had the time of my life studying abroad and cannot wait to go back!