Voices from Abroad: Alessandro Reina
 Alessandro and other students in California |
Santa Cruz, CA (USA), Exchange Program, UC Santa Cruz
Madrid (Spain), Bocconi for Europe Program , Vodafone Spain
One of the reasons why I decided to study at Bocconi are definitely the great international opportunities that the university is able to give to its students. My only and absolute study goal during the undergraduate program was to reach the highest possible merit scoring in order to leave for the US, and I made it!
Those four months spent at UCSC and around California were amazing. I met new friends from all over the world and I learned how to interact with different cultures and social behaviors. When you are far from home you start appreciating all those little things that usually are not even taken into consideration, from playing a football match with guys not speaking your own language to discovering new food dishes cooked by your Asian flat mates, watching the sunset on the beach, surfing at dawn.
 Mural in Santa Cruz |
Once back from the States, I was looking forward to a new experience abroad but something had changed. I wanted to combine two important things that each student has to handle during his/her Master of Science: finding an internship and enriching his/her CV through international experiences.The Bocconi for Europe Program represented the best chance I had to put together both things. Indeed it gives selected students the opportunity to take part in two internships abroad, at two different multinational companies.
 Downtown Madrid |
Last summer I worked in Spain for three months at Vodafone Spain. It was a completely different scenario compared to the Exchange Program. First of all, there is a lot more pressure and you can only count on yourself, but once you realize that what you have done was successful and appreciated by your supervisors and that you were part of something bigger than an exam or a group work, you feel self-confident and self-satisfied.Regarding the experience abroad, Madrid is a fantastic city! It is impossible to get bored or not to have something to do, to see, to enjoy! Spanish people are very similar to Italians, they like staying out late, enjoying happy hours featuring wine and every kind of junk food you could expect, dancing in giant discos and meeting new people. Even if you are not living on a Campus or with other students, in Madrid you will certainly meet someone who will help you and bring you around the city, discovering the most beautiful and funniest things you can imagine.Right now I'm ready for another challenge, Munich and an Internship at Siemens are awaiting, and I know that is going to be another unforgettable experience.