Penn Abroad Ambassador Anoushka Ambavanekar

Program:

•  SA: Bocconi University

Ask me about...

• I took one semester of the Italian language at Penn before going abroad, so learning to navigate Italy with little Italian knowledge

• Navigating transportation through Italy

• Packing advice for the spring semester (it’s a lot colder than you’d think!)

• Taking a class as a non-attending student

My Experience Abroad:

Going from Wharton to Bocconi, another business school, I expected my experience in Milan to be similar to my experience at Penn. Instead, I found a huge community of other exchange students from around the world and unique, industry-specific classes where I learned about the business of fashion and the business side of media creation. As a marketing and operations major, it was so fun to learn about the fashion industry and the Italian history of luxury, craftsmanship, and heritage. It was also incredibly cool to explore Milan Fashion Week while simultaneously learning about designers and their business models. The ability to take Bocconi classes as an attending or non-attending student also gave me the flexibility to travel and explore new countries while completing coursework at my own pace.

Other Highlights:

• Exploring Milan Fashion Week and Milan Design Week and getting to view exhibitions - from small designers and artists

• Road trip through Tuscany with 11 of my closest exchange friends

• Meeting up with my friends from Penn in Venice for Carnevale

• Seeing the Northern Lights in Norway