Italy: Will Goehle
Program: CIEE Rome Open Campus, Spring
Will’s Major: Civil Engineering
How were your program academics similar or different from taking classes at UW-Madison?
The program academics at CIEE Rome were slightly different than UW Madison because they featured site visits. Instead of watching through a presentation in a classroom about the Colosseum, we would actually go to the Colosseum, go inside, and learn about the massive structure while in there. We did this with many different masterpieces including the Pantheon, the Borghese Gallery, and the Vatican Museums.
What is your most memorable experience from your program?
The most memorable experience I had on my program was traveling with my Renaissance art history class and seeing the Sistine Chapel ceiling for the first time in my life. Seeing this breathtaking sight with 20 of my fellow students and a very knowledgeable art professor will stick with me for the rest of my life. As we stared up in awe at the ceiling, I recalled the lesson from the day before that our professor had given us about all the minute details in the Sistine Chapel ceiling which helped me appreciate it even more.
The experiences I had while abroad are ones that I will never forget. They have shaped my world view and have given me memories that will last forever both in classes, people I met, and sights I saw.
What is the moment you are most proud of?
The moment I’m most proud of is the presentation I gave on the School of Athens by Raphael. I gave this presentation to my Renaissance art history class and talked for 10 minutes about a piece I had only heard of before taking that class. Prior to my presentation, I was able to see it and study it in person before giving my presentation which I felt I did quite well on.
What is your advice for someone considering your program?
My advice for someone considering this program is simple: do it. The experiences I had while abroad are ones that I will never forget. They have shaped my world view and have given me memories that will last forever both in classes, people I met, and sights I saw.