This week, Colgate University student Ethan So reflects upon the natural beauty, historical significance, and architectural wonder he discovered on his recent day trip to Bath. As part of our study abroad in London, we visited Bath. I had first heard about the city through Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. It was only a short train ride away and a great site for a day trip. The city is a UNESCO World Heritage site because of its natural assets—the hills and hot springs—and its cultural significance. Throughout the day, we observed Bath’s beautiful architecture. All the buildings in the city are con ..read more

This week, we join ACCENT Community College Scholarship recipient Christiana Leonardo, who is studying in Florence. Christiana enthusiastically dives into every aspect of her time in Italy, from her classes to her roommates to the sense of community she and her peers have developed over the course of only a few weeks. Hey, y’all. Benvenuto to my blog! My name is Christiana Leonardo. I studied abroad in Italy during high school, where I was able to learn a bit of the language. I made a vow when that I would one day study in Florence after seeing what a fun student city it seemed to be. Three y ..read more

This week, ACCENT Community College Scholarship recipient, Valeria Orellana Canales, who is just starting her study abroad adventure, talks about the captivating beauty of Florence. Ciao! As I start my third week in Florence, Italy, I cannot express how much happiness these last few weeks have brought into my life. Florence has surpassed every expectation I had, and the ACCENT staff have really made my time abroad so much easier. I am truly lucky to be able to see the beauty of the city in every little corner and in every street. The amount of history that every building contains is unbelieva ..read more

This week, ACCENT Rome Programs Coordinator Alice Mangia shares her insights into USC students’ recent excursion to Bologna, and describes what they learned about some of our favorite Italian exports: parmigiano and balsamico! Many Italian cities have nicknames that symbolize the history of the city, or describe the city itself. For example, Rome is known as the Eternal City, and Venice as La Serenissima. Bologna has not just one, but three nicknames: la dotta, la grassa, la rossa (the erudite, the fat, the red) and these offer an explanation as to why the city is the perfect weekend getaway ..read more

The Insights newsletter highlights innovative programs with ACCENT. Today’s excerpt comes from our July 2019 edition. For more Insights, visit our newsletter at: https://accentintl.com/insightsjuly2019/   Professor Susann Allgaier challenges University of Minnesota students in her Drawing Studio to forget everything they know and question everything they see. In fact, central to their experience in the course is the concept of “learning to see,” a fundamental mindset in their efforts to analyze and construct visual ideas through the art of drawing. Considering line, value, texture, shape, and ..read more

This week, ACCENT Madrid Programs Coordinator Tania Rodríguez provides some advice to students preparing to study abroad, particularly addressing common emotional challenges study abroad students experience and how these challenges can be addressed. Being abroad isn’t just going to school in a different country, it’s a challenge in many senses: to be ready to live and face new experiences every day, meet new people, and question almost everything. Once you decide to take this amazing journey of self-development, there will be no way back. This will surely affect your emotions, and that is why ..read more

Today, we hear from Lisa Harvey, the newest member of the ACCENT Florence team. A prolific writer and enthusiastic traveler, Lisa joined ACCENT last month as a Programs Coordinator, where she organizes activities and assists students with day-to-day life abroad. This week, Lisa gives advice on what not to pack when preparing for study abroad. When I was in the third grade, we were told to invent a machine that would help with daily life; some of my friends drew machines that would do their homework, others invented room-cleaners, and me? I invented a packing machine. I hated packing so much in ..read more

Beginning with its first community college partnerships in 1991, ACCENT has continued to offer affordable short-term and semester-length custom study abroad programs designed to meet the unique academic needs of the community college population. Through these efforts, ACCENT has enabled over 8,000 students from over 25 U.S. community colleges to study abroad over the past 25 years. Three Santa Barbara City College students have received scholarship awards to support their study abroad experiences in Florence. Throughout their time overseas, they will serve as community college student ambassad ..read more

This Fall, UCLA student Grace Hawkins participated in UCEAP’s Contemporary Spain program in Madrid. In addition to winning 3rd place in the ACCENT Madrid photo contest, Grace also sat down with our staff to discuss her success making friends with the locals. What has your experience been like getting to know Spanish people here in Madrid? I’ve made some really wonderful Spanish friends here. I have two groups of Spanish friends: one that I met at my residence (we have breakfast, lunch, and dinner together and I always see them because we have our meals in the “comedor”. We go out together and ..read more