Gathering More Study Abroad Information

Yesterday, after Hebrew Bible class, I went to an information session on study abroad. A representative from IFSA-Butler, an organization that has many study abroad programs, was visiting. It was a very small information session—only me and one other student, but that meant receiving a lot of personalized information about the program I was interested in at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland. The University of Ulster has four different campuses, and I like the one in Coleraine. It has a strong English program so I should be able to find classes to meet my requirements here.

The representative was able to describe the campus so I have a better picture than my research had given me. He said the campus itself wasn’t the prettiest campus, but it was surrounded by a scenic area. Also, there are busses that take students into the nearby town. The college is also larger than Susquehanna, but I think I’m willing to take bigger class sizes for a semester in order to have my study abroad experience. The academic approach in Northern Ireland will be different as well. There is less week-to-week work; students are expected to be more independent, and much of your grade comes down to a long, final exam. There will definitely be an international population, but it won’t be a huge one, like in some other countries. The program comes with an orientation before the semester--I believe in Belfast, though my memory isn't 100% clear--as well as excursions. For students in Northern Ireland, he said there is usually a weekend in Dublin. He was also able to give me more information on how signing up for classes and applying work. Something else I like is that there will probably be a group flight to Northern Ireland leaving from JFK airport. This is a comfort to me because I’ve never flown before.

Right now, I definitely think this is what I want to do in terms of study abroad. The application process for studying abroad next school year opens up in November, so around then this blog will probably be filled with more updates as I go through paperwork, try to obtain a faculty recommendation, etc.  My main concern, at the moment, is just making sure things will check out financially.

Despite the fact that I’m in the very beginning of this process—practically before the beginning—the more I think about study abroad the more excited I become. In high school, this is an opportunity I hadn’t really considered taking, but now I’m very much attached to the idea.