Carly Penn '26

I was always interested in studying abroad so when the time came to actually do it, I was really excited to begin choosing a program! 

What was great about choosing to study abroad at Bryn Mawr was that so many of my friends in grades above me had told me about their experiences and a lot of my friends in my grade were planning on going as well. So, choosing to go abroad didn’t feel like it was out of the ordinary. Additionally, I felt really supported by the faculty in the psychology department to go abroad, they were very encouraging and even helped me figure out how to get a class from abroad to count toward my major. 

My decision making process for study abroad was sort of random. I had a really broad scope in the beginning, there were so many places I could have gone! Most places had a psychology program, so all of my options felt a bit overwhelming. In the end I was between Florence, Italy, and Melbourne, Australia but ultimately chose Italy. 

I was incredibly excited for the food, art, small city, and ability to travel within Italy and to other European countries easily!

One I was abroad, on weekdays, I would usually wake up about an hour before my morning class started. The walk to school was about thirty minutes, which I found helped me wake up in the morning, so I enjoyed it. Usually I would have two-three classes per day. While I was abroad, I stepped out of my usual course load and took an oil painting class, and a food class in which we got to do wine and bread tastings. My program was also partnered with an international art school in which I took a sewing and design class. This class has been one of the most fun classes I have taken during my time in college! Usually this class would happen in the afternoon, and was another fifteen-twenty minute walk from my program's school building. So, I would occasionally stop for lunch at a local sandwich shop on the way, or a focaccia slice from a wonderful bakery nearby the art school. After my classes were over I would typically end the day cooking dinner with my roommate. One of the best dinners we made was pasta with pesto and burrata from a local market, it was so delicious!

Something that surprised me was the lack of food diversity. Don’t get me wrong, the Italian food is great but trying to get some good Mexican food seemed impossible. Maybe I just didn’t know where to look but there was really nowhere I could find with quality authentic food. Shockingly though, I had probably the best Korean Barbecue I have ever had in my life there. Although it was hard to find some of my favorite cuisines, there was still a lot of good food to choose from in the city.

My time studying abroad helped me grow a lot as an individual. 

I solo traveled for the first time, and I also got to be more creative, through my oil painting and sewing classes, which was something that I hadn’t done before at Bryn Mawr. Without my time abroad I probably wouldn’t have opened up this creativity, and continued to take art classes when I got back to Bryn Mawr. Overall, I think my experience made me more independent in that I had to rely on and trust myself in new ways. Additionally, my abroad experience showed me how much I enjoy being creative and it has become an essential way for me to destress.

Bryn Mawr makes studying abroad easy and accessible for everyone! There are so many different programs to choose from, no matter the continent you want to travel to. I also think a great thing about studying abroad at Bryn Mawr is that around 40% of students will choose to go during their time here. This means that you are by no means alone in your decision, it is something that many people want to do! 

I strongly believe any student who chooses to study abroad at Bryn Mawr will be able to find a program that they will truly enjoy!