Studying abroad is a common topic of discussion during college, whether you’re the one going or hearing about others experiences. Many different departments on the UW-La Crosse campus offer study abroad programs, from as short as a weeklong to all semester! While studying abroad might initially seem an unattainable time commitment, there are actually many shorter programs as well. Opportunities land within a large range of varying places, prices, and time spent abroad.
For example, this past summer, ten faculty members took students to places like London, England, Galway, Ireland, Slovakia, Spain and Tanzania for three weeks. Their departments included English, History, Management and even more! And shorter sessions are not only limited to summer; two separate groups of students also went to Australia and New Zealand during this past J-term.
In this upcoming summer, there are opportunities to study in the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Frankfurt, Germany and London with prices ranging from $2,600-$3,300. Many classes are offered during this time, including a variety of archaeology and English courses, but there are others as well. If you’re interested, check out the UW-L website for more details on these trips.
Another opportunity for this summer is through the music and arts departments. Ritterling and Terpstra are offering specific music and art classes the opportunity to study abroad in South Korea. They will be there from June 8 to the 21 and the deadline to apply is March 2.
If any of these opportunities do sound interesting to you, there are many factors that you’ll need to consider. You’ll have to choose whether you want to spend a longer time there or if you’ll choose a shorter session. Some other things to consider are when the program/application deadlines are, which courses you should take and how to find them, and whether financial aid or scholarships are available.
The Office of International Education is available as a resource for any of your questions. They’ll help you pick a place and a session that is perfect for you and help guide you through your process of studying in a foreign country. They’ll also be able to answer any question about studying abroad that you have that may be holding you back from such a wonderful opportunity. If you want to contact them, the office is located in 1209 Centennial Hall or you can email them at [email protected]. There are also many study abroad informational sessions held throughout the semester. The last one was held on February 12 in Valhalla. These are great resources to speak to those leading trips as well people who have attended and will share their experiences.
So if you want to experience studying abroad for yourself, which the university and the Office of International Education believe “is vital for all students, faculty and staff in order to create global leaders for Wisconsin,” check out some opportunities here on campus. You never know what you’ll find.