Students studying abroad gather with their families to pray over their trips. (Photo by Riley Fisher)
Around 40 students left the Hunter Welcome Center to go study abroad for the spring semester.
Students left on Wendesday for Oxford, England, and Montevideo, Uruguay for a semester abroad. A traditional candlelight devo was held for these students. Many students and faculty members attended the ceremony to pray over them and wish them a safe journey. They will return during finals week.
Students have the opportunity to study abroad during the fall, spring, or summer terms at any point during their college career.
“Studying abroad has been on my bucket list since middle school,” said Sarah Schrier, a sophomore kinesiology pre-occupational therapy major from Carrollton who is going to Oxford. “I am excited to live near the pastures and be in a city with beautiful architecture.
Normally, Leipzig, Germany is a country where students have the chance to do a study abroad program, but unfortunately, this spring, it had to be canceled. Four students were originally signed up for the Leipzig spring trip, but during the semester, multiple students dropped the program. Along with “financial solvency,” the program needed to be canceled. However, because of the cancellation, this has allowed for some needed construction to be conducted on the Leipzig villa.
While there are cons to the program, such as fitting study abroad into a student’s schedule and getting it to a level of affordability that all students can get access to, many pros come with studying abroad.
“There are higher rates of student engagement, higher GPAs, higher rates of retention and completion of their undergraduate degree,” said Mark Barneche, director of international learning and study abroad. “But from a student’s perspective, the real pros of the study abroad experience are the opportunity to have your imagination expanded of what’s possible for your life.”
Students have the opportunity to learn from someone new in a very different place. They build close relationships with the people they study abroad with that tend to last a lifetime, and students have also mentioned how their faith has been changed as well.
“For someone thinking about studying abroad, I would say to just do it,” said Schrier. “I’ve heard so many positive things about it.”
The Center for Careers and Experiential Learning has dedicated student ambassadors and full-time staff members for more information on studying abroad.