Tully Walton ’28 (global business management, management information systems) is studying at RIT Croatia, in Zagreb, the country's capital and largest city, as part of the Global Business Management Rotation. Students in the Rotation spend the spring semester of their second year in Zagreb and the spring semester of their third year at RIT Dubai.
Walton comments that the highlight of his time has been the opportunity to travel throughout both Croatia and Europe as a whole, both through the school and independently. A few weeks ago, the students of the Global Rotation Program went on a trip to see three different attractions in the greater Zagreb area, including Trakošćan Castle (my personal favorite) with incredible architecture and views.
In addition to the travel that happened through RIT,” says Walton, “I've done some independent exploring. This included going to Billund, Denmark, over my spring break, which is the home of LEGO. This is a trip I've always wanted to take, and I'm happy I was in a position to do so because of the study abroad program. I highly encourage anyone who does the program to take the opportunity for cheap, easy travel around Europe. Ljubljana is also a great day trip, it's a 2.5 hour train ride away.
As for Zagreb itself, it's a nice city. It's not without its share of issues, as any city is, but I'd say it's a safer and more welcoming city than most others I've travelled to. 90% of people know English well enough to have a good conversation, and 98% know it well enough to help you order or find what you need at a restaurant or grocery store. The city is very pretty.
In my free time, I often go to a climbing gym that is about a 10-minute walk from our housing. This allows me to stay active in the same way that I would at the RIT campus, as I'm a frequent patron at the Red Barn. As for the housing, it's essentially a small apartment building owned by a family. The family lives on the bottom floor, with the second floor having two apartments that hold 4 people each, and the 4th floor having a single apartment that holds 6 people (this is the apartment I'm living in). The 3rd floor does have another family, which is something to keep in mind during late nights . Unfortunately, housing is a 25-minute walk to campus, but savvy use of the bus schedule helps with this. Overall, the housing is comfortable and fully accommodating to our needs. The food around Zagreb is also great, everything is prepared to a much higher standard than in the United States. Even the familiar names in fast food are better than in the US, and trying new and unfamiliar foods has always resulted in pleasant surprises.
A highlight is definitely the Study Abroad team at RIT Croatia, which helped get us settled in and plans the trips through the school. They're doing a great job.
My Exporting and Global Sourcing professor has an incredibly impressive resume, as she was head of procurement for three of the biggest Croatian companies. She brings industry expertise to her lectures and provides the overall high-quality learning environment I have come to expect from RIT.
Overall, I'm thankful I've taken the opportunity to go to Zagreb, and for the travel experience.
