Maya Angela Simms

I studied abroad in Florence, Italy, for three and a half months, and it was the best educational experience I’ve had at Syracuse! I was able to take classes that are only offered abroad, like an architecture sketching course where we traveled around Italy as a class and an Italian language class where we could go out and practice what we learned in the community. I was also able to travel across Italy in my free time thanks to the extensive public transportation system there. In addition to exploring Florence, I was able to visit Pisa, Milan, Venice, Siena, Rome, and much more! I never would have been able to see or do everything on my own, so I am super grateful for this opportunity!

I was not expecting to be able to visit so many places. I didn’t think I would have enough time to travel all over Italy while attending my classes, but I could take a day trip to another city every weekend if I so chose. I could even work on my homework during the train rides. The trains were also pretty affordable, considering I was traveling to a whole new city.

I learned about new modes of representation in one of my architecture electives abroad, like photogrammetry and how to digitally create materials in renders. I want to expand upon what I’ve learned when I design for my future architecture classes. I have also been considering going to graduate school to further my architecture degree, and now I feel more comfortable looking at colleges outside of the US now that I have experienced living abroad.