IE Events and News
Making Study Abroad Work for You: Resume Writing Tips
Thurs. Feb. 9, 2012
4:00pm
Glendening Annex
International Education External Review Student Open Forum
Thurs. Feb. 16, 2012
7:00pm
Aldom Lounge (Connected to the Campus Center)
Study Abroad Through their Eyes: Perspectives from Former Study Abroad Students
Thurs. Feb. 23, 2012
7:00pm
Aldom Lounge (Connected to the Campus Center)
Summer 2012, Fall 2012, and Academic Year 2012-13 Application Deadline
Thursday, March 1, 2012
5:00pm
230 Glendening
MIEA Scholarship for Study Abroad Application Deadline
April 2, 2012
International Education
Glendening Hall, Suite 230
240 895-4202
ie@smcm.edu
St. Mary's in ALBA
St. Mary's and Italian faculty offer the opportunity for students to complete courses that fulfill Core Curriculum or major requirements while experiencing northern Italy's Piedmonte region.
More programs..
Alba, Italy
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Location:
Northwestern Italy in the Piedmonte region
8-hr train to Rome -
School Size:
SMCM cohort -
Language of Instruction:
English -
Students live double-occupancy in apartments in city center
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Currency: Euro and cent
Symbol = €
Code = EUR -
Telephone country code = 39
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Physical Demands:
A lot of walking in the city center -
SMCM Faculty Adviser for Alba is Jeff Silberschlag, Music
St. Mary's in Alba Semester Program
and the Alba Summer Music Festival
Why Alba?
In the words of SMCM students Andrea Richardson and Sara DeSavage
Why did you choose to study at Alba?
Andrea: I chose Alba because of the movie Under the Tuscan Sun. This is probably as superficial as you can get but after watching that movie I really wanted to see Italy, experience their culture, and be emerged in a different lifestyle...
Sara: I chose Alba for its general studies program. Being able to take general education requirements in Alba allowed me to study abroad with St. Mary's in Italy even though I'm a physics and math major.
What did you experience there that you might not experience elsewhere?
Andrea: I experienced the European lifestyle! As much as you hear about how their lives are different (they don't have the same mentality about work and play as Americans do, have different social policies, and just different lives in general) it is completely different to be placed somewhere new and have no choice but to adapt. I also got to travel and see more of Italy and Europe which is not something I would have been able to do otherwise. The experience opened up my eyes and allowed me to see outside of the bubble I live in.
Sara: Alba's in the Alps. The city is fun and alive...especially during the truffle festival. I saw the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets in Alba (and all over Europe) that I wouldn't have been able to see back home.
Why should other students study abroad?
Andrea: I feel other students should study abroad because when in their lives are they going to have this type of opportunity again??? The price is the same as staying here at St. Mary's but they are able to go over with people like them, students here in America, so they are not traveling alone, but still completely taking in a different lifestyle.
Sara: People should study abroad because they get a new perspective on living, their country, and education after spending so much time in a foreign country. You can't learn it in a week or in America. You need to go away to get the full experience of life.
Why should other students choose St. Mary's in Alba and study in Italy?
Andrea: liked the signature semester in Alba because it was the same price to be in Italy as it was to be in Maryland (and airfare was paid for!!!). Being in Alba was also great because it was a city with a lot of different places to eat, shop at, and visit, but small enough that I began to know native Italians and felt like I was at home. Compared to friends at other universities who studied abroad in a large city like Rome, I feel I had the greater advantage to live like a true Italian because Alba isn't a tourist spot where you sit down and expect to hear English from the waiter or the people at the table next to you. The location of Alba is great because it is at the northern part of Italy which makes it easier to get on a train to visit another country or spend the same time or less to get on a different train to see Southern Italy in its glory.
