As part its academic strategic plan, “,” the University is committed to removing barriers and creating opportunities so that all undergraduates can study abroad or away before they graduate.
More than 50% of students explore the world through a center, says Nicole Collins, director of strategic partnerships and outreach with ϲ Abroad. With over , there’s a unique opportunity for every student.
Nicole Collins
While the spring has traditionally been when the majority of students study abroad, Collins says there’s been a in recent years. Among the reasons why Collins says students should consider studying abroad in the fall:
“Our students are realizing the amazing opportunities available in the fall,” Collins says. “We have great need-based and merit-based scholarship opportunities available for students in the fall, plus there’s less demand.”
On this episode of the , Collins and Sophia Moore ’25, who enjoyed a life-changing ϲ Abroad experience in the Fall 2023 semester, discuss the many benefits of studying abroad in the fall. A transcript [PDF] is also available
Thinking of studying abroad in the fall? The is March 15.
The below Q&A spotlights how, through their semesters abroad, students Moore and Anna Meehan ’26 underwent transformative experiences by immersing themselves in a new country.
Sophia Moore visited the historic sanctuary of Machu Picchu.
Academic majors: Television, radio and film (); sociology ().
Semester Abroad: Fall 2023 at the in Santiago, Chile.
Why was Santiago the destination for you? I figured that I would have an opportunity at some point in my life to be able to travel to Europe, but to travel to South America, that was a rare opportunity. And I really wanted the chance to immerse myself in a culture that I was completely unfamiliar with in a country that I was completely unfamiliar with, with the safety net of doing it through ϲ Abroad.
Sophia Moore
What role did your host family play to help you get acclimated? My host family encouraged me to go out and do everything that Santiago had to offer. Every day, my host mom would check in and offer up a couple of places to check out. She was always pushing me to get out of the house and go explore the city because it’s important to take advantage of every moment. I wouldn’t have had access to that kind of cultural ambassadorship to Chile if I wasn’t living with a host family.
How close did you become with your peers in the Santiago program? We lived something so life-changing together, experienced so much culture and were exposed to this lifestyle that’s so different from the U.S. In five months, we all became very close, and that’s something that just is a bond for life.
What did you learn about yourself from your time studying abroad? Studying abroad somewhere where the language spoken is not my first language was a real challenge. Every day, I would wake up and push myself to just do a little bit more, speak in Spanish a little longer, think a little harder and get myself a little more comfortable with the language and with the space. But as time went on, just coaxing myself into doing a little bit more showed me that I have a level of resilience that I wasn’t aware of before I went abroad.
Anna Meehan poses at Piłsudski Square (Plac Piłsudskiego) in Warsaw, Poland.
Academic majors: International relations (); Russian language, literature and culture, and music history and cultures ().
Semester Abroad: Fall 2023 through the program (based in Wroclaw, Poland). Meehan visited Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Germany.
Why was Central Europe and Poland the destination for you? My aunt studied abroad in Poland when she was about my age, and after hearing her stories, it just made sense that I study abroad here too. This program covered World War II history. The Holocaust and Judaic studies. The Soviet Union. My research is on the political culture in former Soviet countries, so this was a really good opportunity to go live in and get a great educational experience studying something relevant to my degrees.
Anna Meehan
How did you acclimate and adjust to life in your new home? I remember getting off the bus after flying into Wroclaw and feeling calm and comfortable. Part of that is because I spent so much time in my childhood and at ϲ reading about and studying Poland, and I knew one day I would get there. When I did, it just felt right. I had a revelation while I was studying abroad and now my plan is to go back to Poland for the long-term after college.
How close did you become with your peers in the Central Europe program? If you go through the experiences of visiting those three concentration camps like we did, it’s inevitable that you will grow close to these people. Sure, at first we were all shy and getting to know each other, but within the first two weeks, I saw people who didn’t know each other at all before the program supporting each other and helping everyone go through and process these really difficult concepts and emotions from the difficult places we visited. We still keep in touch, and we all got back together for a reunion this fall that was really special.
How did your semester abroad complement your academic goals and aspirations? I wanted to dedicate my studies to understanding the politics and history of Eastern Europe so I could learn more about my field of international relations and Russian language, literature and culture. I thought going to Poland would be a good way to see Eastern Europe in a more modern sense. But when I got there, I saw so many non-governmental organizations who used culture as the basis for healing the tensions of the refugees from Ukraine who have crossed the borders, and how art and music can really play a central role in that process. This drove me to eventually declare my music history and cultures major.
I also ended up going to an entire week of cultural festivals in support of Belarusians who had to flee Belarus and relocated to Poland. I went to plays, gatherings and concerts and left feeling like I understand my mission from a different perspective. I still want to promote how art, music and culture promote healing, but now it’s on a much more personal level.
