An air of anticipation hangs over many students on the Puget Sound campus. Many upperclassmen have applied to study abroad in the coming year and they are anxiously awaiting the results of their applications that were due on Feb. 15.
Students applied to schools all over the world, from Tanzania to Denmark.
According to the study abroad website, “The Office of International Programs focuses on providing opportunities for International education and fostering an appreciation for cultural diversity at the University of Puget Sound.”
The Office of International Programs, located in Howarth 215, has a wonderful staff that has gives individual support to each student looking to study abroad.
“Jan Moore was really helpful in choosing an abroad location,” sophomore Alison Crabb said.
Crabb was unsure of her ideal program at the start of the application process. She knew that she wanted her program to involve science and marine biology, but she found it challenging to find one that fit all her wishes ideally.
“Jan basically asked me questions about where I would be able to see myself the most, whether that was at a university or in the field,” Crabb said.
She explained that she received a lot of help from the resources within the study abroad offices.
“The questionnaires that previous abroad students had filled out proved to be most helpful because they really gave an honest account of what the situations actually are like,” Crabb said.
She finally decided to apply to a program through SIT, an organization that allows students to study out in the scientific field in the subjects of their choice. Crabb hopes by this time next year she will be in Tanzania studying coastal ecology and natural resource management.
“I am excited because the native language in Tanzania is Swahili, so the first few weeks of my experience will be spent in intensive language courses,” Crabb explained.
Like most applicants, Crabb is unsure when she will hear about her acceptance to the program. Most study abroad programs utilize rolling admission.
One of the most challenging aspects after choosing to study abroad is the tedious application process that most students undergo. For many, the application extends beyond writing a few essays and filling out personal information.
Sophomore Meg Anderson is applying to the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin, Ireland.
“I memorized two monologues, and spent an entire weekend putting together my audition video and other required materials,” Anderson said.
She explained the rigors of her application as well as the amount of effort it took to apply to Gaiety.
“I felt like I was applying to college all over again,” Anderson said.
The application process varies depending on the programs of each individual student. Even the essays are so particular that it takes a lot of effort to figure out how to make one’s application stand out.
“The hardest part for me was the essays because many of the questions were really broad, and it was hard to make them relevant to me,” Crabb said.
As rigorous as the application process might be, the ultimate reward is the experience that students gain from their time abroad.
Sophomore transfer student Ana Liuzzi explained the benefits that her experience abroad in Nepal and India provided for her.
“You really figure out a whole different part of yourself. You get to know yourself in a way that you never thought you would,” Liuzzi said.
Her passionate descriptions emphasized how much she gained from immersing herself in a new culture.
“It’s a wonderful thing to be become acculturated. It allows you to see the possibilities of America when you are not in America. You start to look at the culture like an anthropologist,” Liuzzi said.
She explained that she learned far more from her experiences abroad than she ever could have in a classroom. Like many previous abroad students, Liuzzi’s reflections gave an ideal account of what most students hope their time abroad will be like.
However, for now, it is time to wait for this year’s study abroad applicants.
But at the end of the day they will return from their excursions abroad with new stories and unforgettable educational experiences.
