Redefining Boundaries: Abroad Study Programs

In the age of globalisation and the Internet, the world is becoming an increasingly smaller place with each passing day. How often is it that we dream of taking a tour of the turrets in a castle in Germany, go hiking in the Austrian Alps, taste delicious wine in the French vineyards or ride a gondola in the Venetian canals? For students in universities abroad, these can be ticked off the bucket list through student exchange and abroad study programs. Most international universities, especially the ones in the USA, offer attractive study abroad programs for interested students. Along with the opportunity to learn more about their specific disciplines in a “live classroom” environment, the students get to travel extensively to all corners of the world – quaint English countryside to historically significant cities, all the while gaining valuable experience for their holistic development.

If you too are one of the many who likes to explore new places, meet and befriend new people, dig in to different cuisines in the various countries, visit exotic locales and make memories of a lifetime, then the study abroad programs are cut out just for you. From a purely academic point of view, abroad study programs focus on the all-around development of the students, upholding the values of experiential education through learning resources available outside the closeted feel of classrooms. These programs enable you to be at one with the people and culture of foreign lands, all the while learning about history, art, architecture, business, engineering, ecological studies and many more subjects. Once outside the cloistered classroom environment, you can learn through interaction with people of foreign cultures and an immersion program in the truest sense.

Along with broadening your mind, captivating your senses, helping you view the world in a new light and taking you on a trip of a lifetime, these programs will also add precious points to your resume, and employers worldwide recognise and value prospective employees who have spent some time at an abroad study program. Learning a new language and gaining more knowledge about different cultures and traditions in these programs will help you grow as an individual and you will be enriched with experiences you can cherish lifelong.

The intake into these programs is limited and has to be applied for well in advance. If you are studying at an international university or contemplating going overseas for your higher studies, then look up the university website for more information on the abroad study programs it offers. The selection process for this programs vary between institutions and courses; while some are open to students of a certain discipline, some are decided by a random lottery. Carefully go through the details before applying to the program of your choice.

Following is a list of universities in the USA renowned for their abroad study programs. You may take your pick from the list or explore further to find one that suits you the most.

§ University of Portland

Offers semesters, summer schools and a full year abroad in countries like Japan, Ecuador, France, the UK, Spain and Austria.

§ University of Dallas, Texas

Has tailor-made abroad study programs for high school students, undergraduates and sophomores in Rome, Florence, Milan and Venice in their sprawling twelve-acre Eugene Constantin campus.

§ University of Chicago

Offers a semester abroad to students of history and art to study abroad in their UoC Centre in Paris, France.

§ University of St. Thomas, Minnesota

Has an engaging semester abroad for its business management and business administration in London, United Kingdom.

§ Boston University

Provides the students with a memorable fall or spring semester or a year abroad to study a broad range of courses in over 30 cities all over the world, the primary among them being in their overseas campuses in London, Haifa, Shanghai, Sydney, Paris, Copenhagen, Dublin, Dresden, Accra, and Bocconi.

§ Guilford College, Greensboro

Offers short and highly acclaimed abroad study programs in Italy, Spain, Germany and Ghana for studying a varied number of courses in liberal arts.

§ Duke University, Durham

It is renowned for their four to eight week and semester-long lively study abroad programs for a wide range of courses in Singapore, China and France.

§ Trinity College, Hartford

Offers an eventful semester or a year abroad in the liberal arts courses in alluring locations like Rome, Paris, Trinidad & Tobago, Vienna and Barcelona.

§ University of Washington, Seattle

Has several short and semester-long overseas programs on architecture, literature and languages including other subjects in locations like France, Italy and Peru.

§ Syracuse University

The overseas programs consist of internships, community engagement, homestays and field work over a range of disciplines in Hong Kong, Istanbul, London, Beijing, Madrid, Strasbourg, Florence and Santiago.

So what are you waiting for? Pack your bags and give wings to your wanderlust through the abroad study programs in international universities.