What to Expect When You First Arrive in Milan

If you’re heading to IES Milan and wondering, “What actually happens during the first week?”—I was in the exact same position.

When I was preparing for the Spring 2026 Full-Time Internship Program, I had so many questions about the initial schedule. What happens on arrival day? How intense is orientation? When do classes actually start?

So here’s a breakdown of what you can realistically expect. (Keep in mind this was Spring 2026 in Milan—details may vary by term or location!)

Day 1 (Monday): Housing Orientation + Welcome Event

On arrival day, students staying in the same housing type attend orientation together.

This includes:

• Icebreakers
• What to expect during the semester
• Potential challenges
• Your rights and responsibilities
• Staff introductions
• Housing-specific information

You’ll also receive:

• A transportation card (preloaded for the first month!)
• A colored bracelet that assigns your orientation group.
  • The bracelet becomes important later.

That evening, there’s a casual welcome event with food and drinks. It’s your first real chance to meet other students and start forming connections.

Day 2 (Tuesday): Big Orientation + Duomo Walking Tour

Students are split into two groups (based on housing). One group attends orientation first, then does the Duomo walking tour. The other group does it in reverse order.

Orientation covers:

• Cultural differences
• Safety and emergency contacts
• Living tips for Milan
• More staff introductions
• Expectations for behavior and academics

During Duomo walking tour, you’ll explore major landmarks near the Duomo and learn about Milan’s history and architecture with a guide.

Days 3 & 4 (Wednesday & Thursday): More Orientation

Remember that colored bracelet?

Your bracelet color determines which day you have orientation and which day is free.

For example:

• I had a purple bracelet → Wednesday free, Thursday orientation.
• Orange bracelet → Wednesday orientation, Thursday free.

That free day? Absolute lifesaver.

By midweek, you’re still fighting jet lag. Even though orientation sessions are useful, they are long and information-heavy.

On Thursday, my orientation started at 9:00 A.M. and continued until after lunch (IES Milan provided a buffet lunch — and yes, it was actually really good).

That session covered:

• Academic rules
• Italian language class orientation
• A tour of the IES center

Day 5 (Friday): Specialized Orientations

Friday includes orientations depending on your program type.

For internship students (like me), there’s a 9:00 A.M. internship orientation. Early wake-up… unfortunately, yes.

This session covers:

• Weekly work hour expectations
• Italian office culture
• Workplace norms
• Mandatory safety training (required by Italian law)

There were also info sessions for:

• Partner institution students
• Community-based learning participants
• Music students

If you’re only doing the internship program, you’ll likely finish by late morning.

Week 2 & 3: Intensive Italian Begins

Starting Week 2, you begin two weeks of Intensive Italian.

Classes run Monday–Friday and are divided into:

• 9:00 A.M. section
• 11:45 A.M. section

My class ran from 11:45 A.M. to 2:15 P.M.

If you’re an internship student, you start working during Week 3 while still doing Intensive Italian. That means fewer work hours at first.

For me, that looked like:

• Italian class until 2:15 P.M.
• Internship from 3:00 PM to 6:00 P.M.

It’s manageable—but definitely an adjustment period.

Final Thoughts

The first week at IES Milan is packed. It’s exciting, slightly overwhelming, and very structured.

You’ll feel tired.
You’ll feel overstimulated.
You’ll probably forget half the names you hear.

And that’s okay.

Within a couple of weeks, Milan starts to feel more familiar. The metro makes sense. You recognize streets. You know where to get coffee.

I hope this breakdown helps future IES Milan students feel more prepared and less anxious about what those first days will look like.

If you’re heading here soon—take a deep breath. You’ve got this. And Milan is waiting✨