Thursday, September 6, 2012
Study Abroad Expo
A few of my friends and I got together today between classes to go to the Study Abroad Expo in Thompson Library. I was kind of excited, because as an International Studies major, studying abroad is something that I really want to do, but I was unsure about how much specific information I would be able to get from this one day in this short amount of time. The greatest part about it was that I left so much more excited than I went in. I had no idea there were so many different kinds of study abroad programs to choose from! I knew that I could go pretty much wherever I wanted, but I learned so much from the half an hour or so that I was there about the different types of programs; there are ones with internships as well as classes included, ones that are basically just an internship abroad, ones that are just classes, semester at sea, Global May, etc. There are just so many different options, and different programs count for different kinds of credit on your college transcript. It was so overwhelming, but all the representatives from all the different areas were great. They had so much knowledge about the different countries and different programs, they eased my worries about not knowing the language in some cases, and I found a program that I am so excited to do, although I will probably wait until at least sophomore or junior year until I go. It is in Geneva, Switzerland, which is perfect since I am an International Studies major focusing on international relations and diplomacy. I will be taking classes, and I will have an internship with a non-government organization while I am there as well. I went in to this expo thinking I knew everything I needed to know about studying abroad, but I was quite mistaken. I actually knew very little, compared to what I learned today, and I am so glad I went to the expo and found out about all these fun things that I can do instead of sitting in classrooms for the next four years of my life (although I will be doing some of that as well). :)
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I also attended the Study Abroad Expo. I am an anthropology major, so I really want to participate in some sort of archaeological field work or work in firm before I graduate. Before attending the Expo, I did not know where to start and I felt overwhelmed. After going, I now have specific programs in mind and already started looking closer at them. One that I find interesting is an Internship program in Dublin. This program not only allows you to gain course credit, but also has an opportunity to gain 8 weeks of internship experience. I want to continue my education in graduate school so anything that can help me look more competitive is great. Overall, I am very happy with my experience at the Study Abroad Expo.
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ReplyDeleteI can't figure out how to make my own post, but I met my partner for the program on Tuesday. Her name is Ming Ding, but she goes by Dora. She's a freshman from China that has been in this country for less than a month. We didn't get to talk much on Tuesday, but we met for lunch on Friday at Noodles&Co. Much of what she said about Chinese culture and differences from that of the US was fascinating. She is an only child, since her parents' generation was only allowed one child. She spent most of her life in boarding schools, where 11 subjects were required weekly. Unlike the US, she was required to take math, physics, chemistry, biology, psychology, Chinese and English all the time.
I got to witness her first ever taste of mac 'n cheese. When she couldn't think of a word, she would use her translation app on her phone. It often gave awkward phrases or words that aren't used in regular speech, so I got to help her out. In return, she taught me a few Mandarin phrases.
I'm looking forward to lunch again next week!
Gabi Smith
ReplyDeleteThursday, September 6th, 2010
Study Abroad Expo
Today I attended the Study Abroad Expo at the Thompson Library. I had high hopes for this event, seeing as one of my goals before I graduate is to study abroad. I was extremely disappointed. I went straight to the International Studies Abroad table and took a look around on what they had displayed on the table. Most of the regions available were South American or Costa Rico. Not in my interest. So I asked the guy at the table what regions are best to study abroad at for a science major. To my dismay, he replied “South Korea or India.” Wow. Really? That’s it? That was a complete turn off and a blow to my excitement to study abroad. But he went on to say that going to either of those countries could not be done through OSU. Well, that wasn’t exactly what I wanted to hear. At least I grabbed a thick booklet full of countries and the topics of study available. Perhaps I can peruse it and find something that would work for me. I quickly left that table, upset that at the moment, my only options were India or South Korea, and I couldn’t even go there through OSU. I definitely don’t want to go to Asia to study abroad. I just don’t prefer Asian culture to others, and if I’m going to be spending weeks in a foreign country, the least I could do is pick a country in a continent that I like and find fascinating. I went to the Semester at Sea table because Ben said he did that and seemed to highly recommend it. So I thought it’d be worth looking into. However, it’s 100 days at sea. I get seasick easily and I don’t want to spend 100 days away from my boyfriend and family. Besides, I’m terrified of deep water, and my biggest terror is giant squids. Before I headed on out of the expo, I grabbed a French study abroad paper since I’m taking French. I figured since I can speak the language somewhat, studying abroad there wouldn’t be so difficult as far as integrating myself into the French culture. After that, I left the expo, thinking to myself “That was NO help.” I know OSU can get me almost anywhere I want to go. (The key parts of that sentence being “OSU” and “anywhere I want to go”). Perhaps there’s a European country out there that is on the breakthrough in neuroscience…? All I know is I’d have to do further research.
I also attended the study abroad expo last Thursday. I will admit that I had very low expectations going into this event; I thought the concept of studying in another country was straightforward, and that I knew everything I would ever need to know. I also did not think I would find any study abroad programs that would actually interest me.
ReplyDeleteGoing to all of the different booths and talking to the various people there helped me learn about what studying abroad actually entails in terms of money and of the types of classes I would have to take. There were many more options to choose from than I thought there would be, including a program where you can study in Israel and work in a hospital; given that I am Jewish and that I am trying to go into medicine this is an incredible program for me. I will definitely be following up on that program to see if I can apply to study at Tel Aviv University in my sophomore or junior year.
I stopped by the expo as well and was surprised to see so many different types of Study Abroad opportunities! I've never had the chance to travel before and don't even have a passport yet, but I hope to make it to other countries in the near future! It was so great to be able to talk to people about their own experiences abroad! I was a little overwhelmed to be honest and I'm still not sure exactly which program I'd want to do, but it's at least given me a place to start from. I also got to talk to someone about getting a passport which is getting me one step closer to traveling! Overall it was really awesome to have all that information in one place and to have so many people to talk to!
ReplyDeleteI found the fair a little disappointing. It was overcrowded (granted, there are a lot of OSU students...) and I felt like they could have grouped tables together in a more effective way. A table devoted to study abroad programs taught in English - and not in, say, Ireland, the UK, Australia, etc. - would have been appreciated.
ReplyDeleteI have been eager to study abroad for quite a length of time now, so I figured that attending the Study Abroad Expo was a fantastic first step toward reaching my goal. I have a fascination with the Spanish influenced culture such as parts of the world including Spain, Mexico, Latin America, South America, etc so I was glad to have learned of how many opportunities there are through Ohio State to travel abroad to places such as these. It was extremely important for me to learn of the numerous ways that I am able to finance these trips considering money is tight as a college student. It was a relief to know that the University has various scholarships that can be earned for these trips. From this session, I will take with me the knowledge I have gained as to where I have the option to travel, how to finance this travel, and the credits that I can learn from the study abroad experience and apply them to persuading my mother to allow me this opportunity of a life time. Lastly, I feel it is extremely important for students to know about studying abroad because of how global America is on so many levels in today’s society. And of course as President Gee says, “A passport is our key to the world.”
ReplyDeleteI got quite a lot of information about all of the different French speaking programs there. It really has me excited to see how available all of this information is and how much the school is trying to make it possible for as many students as is reasonable, to go abroad to study. I am definitely hoping to do so myself sometime within my four years here.
ReplyDeleteI also attended the Study Abroad Expo. My major is International Relations & Diplomacy with a minor (possibly double-major?) in Spanish, so this was something that definitely stood out to me. I received a lot of information about programs in Spain, but also some in Latin America (where I could be so lucky to study abroad). These were programs I expected to learn more about. However, I also stumbled across a couple programs that I was not expecting. Semester at Sea and the Peace Corps are two examples of this. Both of these programs seem amazing and I'm glad I went to the expo, because I don't think I would have seriously considered either before. The Peace Corps table led me to sign up for e-mail list, allowing me to attend meetings and join the club. Regardless of what happens, I really hope to take advantage of at least one (hopefully more) of these programs during my time at Ohio State.
ReplyDeleteI went, too- I have always been eager to study abroad (being a foreign language major), so it was a great opportunity to see what kinds of programs were available (and spark the overseas passion looking at all the beautiful pictures!).
ReplyDeleteI also went to the study abroad expo. My major is Russian and Security and Intelligence, and I'm also taking french next semester. I found a lot out about different programs in Russia and France. One thing I didn't realize was that you can go internships abroad also. But there were a few programs that I signed up to get emails from and hopefully one will work out sometime in the next four years!
ReplyDeleteI was only able to stop by for a little bit but I had to stop because I have always wanted to travel abroad. A very good friend of mine has traveled to Italy and France for photography and his pictures are absolutely gorgeous. I have been obsessed with traveling since I was younger so by the time i graduate I really hope I can experience it.
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