The third annual SotA field trip took place from Monday 10th June to Friday 14th June in Rome, Italy.
60 SotA students were accompanied by Charlotte Fairclough (Internationalisation & Study Abroad Officer), Clare Martindale (Learning & Teaching Support Officer), Jane Cadot (Architecture Tutor), Brendan Maartens (Communication & Media Lecturer) and Annarita Magliacane (Lecturer in TESOL) for the five-day trip which allowed students to meet new people, develop soft skills and discover a new city.
During the trip students engaged in cultural visits to the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, a history focussed walking tour led by Jane & Brendan and were able to organise small group visits to the Vatican City during a free day on the 13th of June. The trip was rounded off with a group meal at the Hard Rock Café.
Enabling our students to go abroad on a short-term programme effectively contributes to the growth of highly sought soft skills. This is evidenced in the feedback received - 77% of survey respondents cited communication, confidence and time management as the skills most improved upon because of the Rome field trip.
“Everyone on the trip was super friendly, it was like I had known everyone beforehand even though it was my first-time meeting anyone on the trip. I had the best time, and the only improvement is that I wish the trip had lasted longer!” – comments provided by first year Architecture student.
Building on student feedback from both Paris 2022 and Vienna 2023, we are looking ahead to planning our fourth trip in the 2024/25 academic year.