My Experience studying in Marvelous Milan!

Olivia – Technical University of Milan – Politecnico Di Milano

Semester 2, 2024

Bachelor of Business / Bachelor of Design

My QUT semester abroad experience took me to Milan, Italy where I studied architecture at Politecnico di Milano from September 2024 to February 2025. Upon reflecting, the first thing I can say is that it went by in the blink of an eye- so my immediate advice is to cherish every moment. This was truly a once in a lifetime experience and I will always eagerly recommend it. This experience is not just about studying in a different country’s university, but about fully immersing yourself in another country’s culture. Which, I admit was a bit challenging at first, especially considering the language barrier that I was woefully unprepared for. But that in itself offered an invigorating opportunity, where I had to push myself outside my comfort zone daily, and in turn that helped tremendously to build my self-confidence and independence. Prior to this, I had never lived out of home before so living alone in a new country was a major leap and one that I will never regret.

My primary reason for selecting Milan as my destination was its status as a global fashion capital. In that right, Milan certainly lived up to its reputation- designer stores were on almost every block within the city centre and although I rarely had the money to purchase much, the window shopping was always glorious. Even Zara was stocked to the brim with fashionable, and more affordable, pieces. I highly recommend seeing the thrift/vintage stores available as more often than not, a hidden second-hand designer item will be found. Cleary, shopping was a major highlight for me and resulted in me having to buy a whole other suitcase just to bring all my stuff home!

Studying at Politecnico di Milano was a truly unique experience, and fully made me realise just how differently universities function around the world- which might seem like an obvious statement. My architectural studies at Politecnico di Milano featured an abundance of group work, with many of the architecture subjects focusing on the preservation and reuse of historical buildings. I fully recommend taking this angle if choosing to study architecture here, as it is something that is not really a focus in Australia, but I believe is chiefly important to understand, especially as environmental conditions worsen and exacerbate the deterioration of the built environment. Included below is a slide from a group assignment I submitted, which is representative of the type of work conducted at Politecnico di Milano.

For me, the highlight of my exchange experience was the ability to travel to so many other countries and destinations whilst abroad. Being in Italy, so many countries were basically at my doorstep. My travels took me from Oktoberfest in Munich, which I highly recommend as it was an amazing way to meet so many other people and students studying abroad from all around the world, to seeing a performance at the Moulin Rouge in Paris. However, my favourite place I travelled to whilst abroad was Italy itself. I went from Lake Como in the North, with freezing cold temperatures and snowfall, all the way down to Ortigia in the South in Sicily, where the beaches were temperate enough to swim in. Not only was the Italian countryside beautiful, but the array of cuisines I was able to try for months on end was absolutely amazing. My all-time favourite was the seafood pasta in Taormina and nothing can beat the limoncello from Capri. Obviously, money will always be an obstacle, so in order to experience a diverse range of places, a hostel is always recommended- always remember to read the reviews before booking!