Michael Pignatelli
ENG ’27
Computer Science
SA: Bologna Consortial Studies Program
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Studying at the University of Bologna, the oldest university in the world, while completing my Computer Science degree at Penn, one of the oldest in the U.S, was an incredible experience. I took all my engineering coursework entirely in Italian, which meant relearning how to study from scratch in a new academic language. I also kept recruiting for internships while abroad, which sometimes meant taking interviews at midnight local time.
I arrived without knowing a single person and built a life from there – including sharing an apartment with Italian students who spoke very little English. I also spent time teaching a local middle school class about American culture and everyday life, which flipped the study abroad script and had me formally comparing my current life with home in real time as I was experiencing this new place.
For me, this was my first time being genuinely far from home, experiencing how that distance changes what you notice and what you’re willing to try. While there, I had the chance to visit relatives in Calabria a few times, which turned the trip into something more personal than just an academic program.
My Experience Abroad
My time abroad let me complete my Italian minor while continuing coursework toward my Cognitive Science minor and Computer Science BSE – but the bigger shift was experiencing engineering education in a completely different system. Taking technical classes in Italian at the University of Bologna forced me to rebuild my study habits from the ground up. Having oral exams, no assignments throughout the term, and adjusting to a non-traditional academic calendar required that I expect the unexpected and go with the flow, even when something should typically be more rigid – like being told “I’m too busy today, come back tomorrow” by a professor right before a final exam. Coming from Penn, studying at Unibo felt like a rare kind of privilege and an interesting contrast in how institutions centuries apart in founding still shape how students learn today.
Professionally, being there opened doors I hadn’t expected: I connected with European firms, giving me a real sense of what a career could look like outside the U.S. The experience also planted an idea of perhaps pursuing a PhD in Italy someday, since European programs typically run just three years, which is just enough time to open the door to a more permanent attachment to Italy and the EU.
Altogether, the semester reshaped how I think about my academic and professional path: less linear, more open to working and studying internationally, and more confident that I can adapt to unfamiliar academic systems and still thrive in them.
Other Highlights
- I visited cities in 10 of Italy’s 20 regions plus five other countries. Some of it was solo, including going hiking and meeting locals on my own for the first time. Getting to fly Ryanair for the first time was certainly an experience as well.
- Having the opportunity to be in Milan during the Olympics was special. I watched Team USA win gold in paralympic hockey live, which was an awesome experience.
- Getting involved in Italian football culture. At a Juventus match, I accidentally ended up sitting with the ultras, which was intense but an unforgettable experience. Everyone was a lot chiller than I would have thought, but maybe just because we were rooting for the same team.
- Visiting the Ferrari Museums was really cool. I didn’t realize the region I was in, Emilia-Romagna, is the heart of the Italian auto industry. While I wouldn’t normally consider myself a huge car guy, as an engineer, seeing the early models and mechanical internals up close of historic Ferrari’s was an interesting and unique experience.
