Experience the journey of a lifetime

Seeing the world has never been easier for GC&SU students, thanks to the International Education Center’s study abroad program.

Study abroad programs, which range from 10-day trips to full one-year exchange programs, give students an opportunity to experience another culture while continuing their education.

Dr. Dwight Call, assistant vice president of the International Education Center, said that every student should consider studying abroad.

“I think that one of the goals of a liberal arts education is to see the issues and problems of the world from various points of view. What better way to do that than go abroad, where the culture, politics and economics are all different,” Call said.

GC&SU students can study virtually any subject in a variety of locations across the globe. Some programs work with partnership institutions, while others are led by GC&SU faculty. Trips that are faculty-led are listed in the course catalog, and students can register for them just like a regular class.

“There are programs abroad that fit everyone. There are programs that fit the more individual students that don’t want to be a part of a group the whole time, and there are programs that fit people that need to be a part of a group,” Call said.

Last year, 178 students took part in study abroad programs in countries ranging from Belize to England. This year, 10 GC&SU students are currently enrolled in semester-long or year-long programs.

The cost to participate in a study abroad program starts at about $1,700 for faculty-led trips. Costs for semester- or year-long exchange programs depend on the tuition of the institution students attend.

“Exchanges are actually the best deal because the only cost differential is the airfare,” Call said. “In other words, exchange students pay GC&SU tuition and only pay room and board while abroad.”

Call recommends the exchange programs for more than just financial reasons.

“I think for many students, they would do well to go on longer programs,” Call said. “When you do a short program, you tend to be there as a tourist. When you go longer, you become an insider.”

Junior Robert Buckley spent a month of his summer in Spain as part of a program led by Dr. Santiago Garcia, a GC&SU Spanish professor.

” We lived with Spanish families that spoke no English,” said Buckley, an economics major. “We basically toured all over the province.”

Buckley believes that studying abroad is an incredible opportunity for students.

“Every student should study abroad,” Buckley said. ” It’s an amazing experience.”

Senior mass communication major Megan Saxon spent more than a month of her summer in France.

” I loved it,” Saxon said. “I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. I feel like I grew up a lot over there. I feel like I’m a lot more capable of taking care of myself.”

Senior Sarah Gard insists that her study abroad trip enhanced her educational experience.

“For one thing, I think experiencing a different culture opens your mind. It allows you to open your mind to other people, especially in a cosmopolitan place like London,” Gard said. “It was the experience of a lifetime.”

For additional information on study abroad programs, visit the International Education Center in Lanier Hall.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 23 2005. Filed under Other. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry