Whether it’s an internship in Spain, social work in Peru or a study abroad in Japan, you can figure out travel plans at the annual Learning Abroad fair being held today in the Union Ballroom from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Breanne Davies, learning abroad coordinator for the Learning Abroad Center, said the fair’s purpose is to enable students to see all of the different international opportunities.
“It’s a great opportunity to have experts from all of our different programs in one place,” Davies said.
This year’s fair includes a scholarship drawing and a “Learning Abroad 101” course at 2 p.m. which all prospective learning abroad students need to take, Davies said.
The U offers programs for students to take credits abroad that count toward their degree. Although every individual college isn’t represented, the learning abroad center is working to expand its borders to reach a variety of majors and countries.
“We are constantly re-evaluating courses and programs to find the gaps, or find the areas of the world that are not being represented,” Davies said. “We’ve done a lot of shuffling around in recent years to cut out duplicates and increase diversity.”
One of the changes includes a shift toward international research. The fair will highlight students’ research in a poster session.
Sally Goodger, a sophomore in English, is considering a study abroad in London and hopes to take advantage of the creative writing program and learn from a different perspective. Goodger plans on talking to students who have participated in the program to see if it is a good fit. Having been abroad before, Goodger said she is happy to travel while improving skills for her future.
“It changed me and built me more than any other experience I’ve ever had,” she said of her previous travels.
Although some students choose to study abroad, there are many others who opt out due to lack of funds and time.
Anastasia Borodai, a sophomore in chemistry, does not see the benefit of studying abroad when she could use the time to do research locally.
“In science, no one cares if you’ve studied abroad. They care about the research you have done,” Borodai said. “It would be cheaper to do a trip on your own after you graduate.”
Davies encourages students to attend the fair even if they only have a small interest to study, intern or participate in research abroad.
“[We hope] to get them excited about going abroad, to really help them find a program that will work with them academically and financially, that will work with their career goals and time frame,” Davies said. “We have so many programs that I think there’s a good fit for just about everyone.”
@carolyn_webber