Panther programs are designed by our Global Experiences Office staff along with faculty, composed primarily of Pitt students, and are typically led by someone from Pitt.
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From Pittsburgh to Sydney: The Difference in Academic Culture
Anna Harstead, Global Business Institute: Sydney, Spring 2026 Adapting to the “laid-back” life in Sydney has been a significant shift from the fast-paced environment I am used to at the University of Pittsburgh. Back on campus, I am accustomed to 200-person lecture halls and the intense, structured nature of traditional business courses. Since arriving here…
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Accessing the World
Anna Harstead, Global Business Institute: Sydney, Spring 2026 What surprised me most about my experience was not just where I went, but how much I was able to travel, explore, and adapt to completely different places in such a short amount of time. If you had told me before coming to Australia that I would spend my weekends traveling…
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My Journey to Sydney
Leo Dean, Global Business Institute: Sydney, Spring 2026 One of the most inherent challenges about living in Australia is the sheer distance from the United States, especially the East Coast. It’s about five-sixths of the way around the world, and as such, getting there is not a quick journey. When booking my flights to Sydney,…
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Cultural Surprises in Australia
Leo Dean, Global Business Institute: Sydney, Spring 2026 We were warned on the second day of our program what the progression of culture shock would look like for us as we adjusted. We were given a full timeline of what the experience would look like, peaking around week three of being abroad as the “honeymoon”…
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Saying “Yes” to New Experiences
Leo Dean, Global Business Institute: Sydney, Spring 2026 When beginning this abroad program, I probably gave myself the worst starting point. I was traveling to the other side of the planet and didn’t know anyone in my program beforehand. I was essentially going in blind. On the second day in Australia during our orientation, they…
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Studying Abroad and Its Impact on my Future
Elizabeth Russell, Pitt in Florence, Spring 2026 Studying abroad in Florence this semester has changed my life in so many positive ways. Not only have I grown as an individual, personally and professionally, but I have made friends who have supported me throughout this experience. Traveling around Europe and to Northern Africa together has pushed…
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Finding Comfort in a New Academic Environment
Malia Rzasa, Global Business Institute: Florence, Spring 2026 One of the more complex variables I’ve had to master while being abroad is balancing all of my academic responsibilities and learning how to study in a different environment. Though I am not participating in an internship while abroad, I am filling my weekly schedule with four…
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Insights on Life Abroad
Malia Rzasa, Global Business Institute: Florence, Spring 2026 Over the course of settling into life overseas, there have definitely been a handful of learning curves experienced along the way. As someone who’d never traveledinternationally prior to this program, the first few weeks of this experience werelargely spent trying to adapt and adjust to something that…
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Some Words of Advice
Malia Rzasa, Global Business Institute: Florence, Spring 2026 My study abroad experience has been nothing short of transformative. As cliche as it may sound, I truly feel as though I’m walking away from these past four months as an entirely reshaped human being, my perspective on the world around me completely rearranged. This program marked…
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The Academic Culture in Florence
Seth Lemler, Global Business Institute: Florence, Spring 2026 Ciao! When coming to Florence, I chose not to go into the internshipprogram, instead opting to stick with classes. I did this because I wanted to takeclasses that are related to Florence, its history, and its culture. With this, I chose to take an art history class,…