Voices from Abroad: Sara Bricchi

New York (USA), Campus Abroad, New York University
Copenhagen (Denmark), Double Degree, Copenhagen Business School
New York (USA), International Internship, Friends of FAI

View of the Statue of Liberty

My first "international experience" with Bocconi dates back to July 2006, when, with the Campus Abroad program, I studied for one month at New York University. Since I was a child I have always liked traveling, visiting new places, discovering different realities, meeting people from other cultures, and I have always thought that the best way to appreciate and (hopefully) understand them is by living in those countries, not just observing them with the eyes of a tourist. So, as soon as the university offered me the chance to leave Italy and to enroll in courses abroad, I immediately took it. At NYU I had the possibility to start confronting myself with a different teaching method, a new way of thinking and, more in general, a different world with a way of life distinct from mine. Needless to say, I was fascinated and I immediately fell in love with "the City" and the innumerable, various opportunities it offers. I came back to Milan with the double desire of returning to New York one day in the future to fully "live" the American lifestyle on one hand, and of broadening my horizons on the other.

Copenhagen street scence

This is one of the reasons which brought me to the decision to sign up for the Double Degree and to leave again, this time for an entire year, with a completely different destination: Denmark and the Copenhagen Business School. Once again – and probably even more – I had to relate with a new reality and another system of values and approach to life. My expectations were high, both at the academic and at a more general level. The months spent in Frederiksberg, enrolled in a class of mainly Danish students, with Danish friends, brought me in close contact with the local culture.Even if – I have to admit – it has not always been so easy, I still regard it as extremely enriching. As a matter of fact, on one hand, it made me more open to other perspectives, more willing to try to understand other people's points of view, and on the other hand, it made me more conscious of my values, my culture, in a word: myself. That's why, having the occasion and while still in Denmark, I decided to take up a new challenge and leave for some months, heading back to New York for an internship. And there my previous experience turned out to be extremely valuable in trying to promote my country on the American scene for a non-profit organization doing fundraising for Italian heritage.

Downtown NYC

Now based in Milan, I look at the tons of pictures taken during these "journeys," searching for words able to render the strength of the influence they had on me, and suddenly a lot of memories come to my mind: the episodes I have enjoyed and I will never forget are countless.At the academic level, I had the opportunity to experience different ways of teaching and learning, to examine economics subjects from different perspectives, to work in an international context and, last but not least, to get a second degree, which helped me to start working in the field I like the most and which I studied for. But I would recommend to any student this kind of experiences more for the personal growth, rather than for all the friends, which I have met, and the more general enlargement of my social network. Getting in touch with different cultures, I have been able to analyze and accept different viewpoints, to adapt and deal with every kind of situation, to make the most out of who I am and what I have. If I could give some advice to everyone, it would be to take the opportunity, pack their suitcases and set off for a new "adventure;" in the end, there is not so much to lose and a lot to gain!