Voices from Abroad: Anna Mariscotti

Shanghai (China), Campus Abroad: Fudan University
Berkeley, CA (USA), Exchange Program: University of California Berkeley
Dublin (Ireland), Bocconi for Europe: Eni

Group picture at Yu Garden, Old Town of Shanghai

Henry Ford once said, "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young." Who would not want to stay young forever? Thus "keep learning." It is simple: two words with the power to uncover new worlds. It has been my mission since I left the comfort of my small hometown to study in Milan at Università Bocconi, and I decided to share my experiences abroad in this article by applying this perspective.

Learn to see the difference – My first experience abroad as a Bocconi student was during the summer of my second year. I left Italy to spend a month in Shanghai with the Campus Abroad program. It was a great experience because of the company of the other students and the organized activities. We had classes in the morning, and in the afternoon, we visited new places and Italian businesses where we were able to speak with many managers that had chosen to work in China. I saw for the first time a world different from the one I was used to, not only from a business/economic point of view but also a cultural one.

Anna and friends near the Golden Gate Bridge

Learn to (ex)change - It was my second experience abroad that challenged and transformed me most. For the exchange program, I had only one dream destination: the University of California Berkeley. It was a hazardous choice, I knew that, but I was prepared to risk and lose rather than settle for less without even trying. So when I finally started my semester at Berkeley, I was on cloud nine. I have to admit, it was not so easy at first, especially given that my classes required a great day-by-day commitment. Nevertheless, I found myself fitting in within that environment more and more every day especially because of the new friends I made in the amazing International House. Looking back, it is so totally true that people are what really matter in the end, the factor that shapes your life most. In fact, when I came back to Italy I searched for a similar stimulating community of students, which I truly found in the Collegio di Milano, an inter-university campus.

Learn to be independent - A career woman: this is how I jokingly describe myself now, given my non-stop schedule of the last year. After having studied books for most of my life, I was really looking forward to applying my academics to a real work experience. Moreover, my indecision about what type of manager to become and my desire to have another experience abroad inspired me to apply to Bocconi for Europe, an amazing program that gives selected students the opportunity to work in two different companies, in two different European countries and in two different departments, so a paradise for International Management students such as myself. I got accepted and on the first of July I started my internship at Eni Insurance in Dublin, which introduced me to the mechanisms of the oil world and Eni's role within it. For the first time in my life I was independent both from my parents' support and from a defined social pattern, proving especially to myself that I was ready to fly from the nest. The overall experience was fantastic: Dublin is indeed a great place for a young person because it is full of life, music and people from all over the world. As always, grabbing the opportunities at the moment was the best choice I made, be it having a beer with a friend or going to see a standup comedian.

Temple Bar by night

Learn to ... - The future. In fact, starting in the middle of February, I will be working in the marketing department of the CocaCola Company, in Budapest. I am already wondering what I will be learning this time, and I am sure it will be a great enriching experience!

To end, I would like to make an overall consideration about what I have learned during the last five years. Of course, my brain has (or should have) stored an incredible amount of information, but I think that it was my Management professor during my very first semester at Bocconi that disclosed to us the true outcome of this education process: wearing a pair of these excellent, useful and expensive Bocconi glasses (different from the Google ones) makes you see the world in a completely different way. So be aware, because for me a supermarket line is not just a time-consuming line anymore, but a clear inefficiency in peak demand management!