Yearlong programs offered on campus

With over 20 Maymester and Summer programs on five continents summer study abroad trips are often most chosen by students, but Georgia College also offers a wide variety of semester and yearlong exchange programs.

All study abroad programs that Georgia College offers have benefits, but the semester and yearlong programs offer more of a personal experience. The long-term experience presents more time for students to become more immersed in the culture, and really get to know what it is like to live in a foreign country.

Senior Spanish major Meredith Carpenter studied abroad in Salamanca, Spain for a semester. She lived in Spain for five months, and all of her classes were instructed in Spanish.

“I learned a lot about the culture and a lot about myself,” Carpenter said.

Carpenter was also very involved with the campus ministry, which gave her a chance to work in classrooms with Spanish children. Carpenter says she was the only student from Georgia College who participated in her particular program at that time.

“I did not know anyone I went with, which made me more a lot more independent,” Carpenter said.

Senior political science major Daniel Moss studied abroad at De Montfort University in Leicester, England.

“I definitely gained more independence; I did not have my typical support network,” Moss said. “I got to see what the British culture was really like, and I got to know the people.”

Moss studied British and American Politics while at De Montfort University, and he had an opportunity to participate in a Student Union protest in London.

“The summer programs just give the students a taste of the culture, where as the semester or year lets them really adapt to the culture, and they learn what it is like to be a native,” said Study Abroad Advisor Liz Havey.

Traveling and studying abroad for a semester or a year gives students the opportunity to experience a different setting.

“It gives the students a chance to test their independence and self-reliance,” Havey said.

Another benefit of studying abroad for a semester or year is cost. It is more expensive to study abroad in the summer than it is to study abroad for the semester or year. Financial aid and scholarships may assist many students with their study abroad plans. HOPE Scholarship, Pell grant and Stafford Loans can aid trips abroad, and certain tuition fees are waived.

The International Education Center offers semester and year exchange in many countries all over the world, including Australia, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Spain, Japan, Mexico, Korea, Romania, and others.

Posted by TaylorSeay on Jan 27 2011. Filed under Close Up, Special Sections. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.