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Ukraine, Tanzania, Morocco and London Business Semester
Where and when did you study abroad?
I did multiple J-Term programs to the Ukraine, Tanzania and Morocco. I did the London Business Semester in the fall of 2004 and I did a summer program in China in 2004.
Why did you decide to study abroad?
I came to St. Thomas wanting to do a semester in London. But, my sophomore year, I was walking through the quad and saw a table with J-Term study abroad information. I grabbed some course descriptions and thought it sounded like a good idea. I looked for courses that would fulfill my requirements and found a theology course going to the Ukraine. After I did the first J-Term course, I wanted to do more. I have actually taken all of my courses abroad to fulfill requirements - they just happened to be in exotic locations.
What was the greatest benefit of studying abroad?
The biggest benefit is educational - you can learn so much more studying abroad than in a regular classroom at St. Thomas. It's easier to absorb the information because you are experiencing it and living it. Instead of three hours a week in a lab at St. Thomas, I fulfilled my lab requirement by going to Tanzania. I walked around with elephants and giraffes and hunted with local tribes. It was an once-in-a-lifetime experience. I learned lab-science but I also learned about the greater issues that are affecting the life and culture of people in Tanzania.
It?s also a cultural experience that you can't get anywhere else. The professors have contacts in the local community so you get to do things that a normal tourist couldn't do. In the Ukraine, we got to meet families and local citizens showed us around. And that really helps in the understanding of the class. Theology in the Ukraine is so much more than simply theology because it has the culture intertwined. It was the same way in Morocco when we were studying art - you had to understand the culture to understand the art.
What are the biggest challenges to studying abroad?
With the J-Term programs, especially, it's the schedule. It is an exhausting four weeks because you are always going, going, going. In China, we did five cities in three weeks. In Morocco, we were in nine cities in a month. I loved it but it is hard work. Group dynamics also comes into play on short-term programs because you are with the same people all the time. But, you just have to keep telling yourself that, even though someone is annoying you, you are probably annoying someone else. It comes down to respect.
Were finances a problem?
Finances are a challenge because you are away from working and, at least for J-Term are paying the additional expense. But, when you really think about what you are getting for the money you are paying - it's a great value! You would have to spend your tuition money if you were taking a course at St. Thomas and semester abroad is comparable. For J-terms, the extra money goes toward lodging, airfare, food and the unique cultural experiences you get as part of an academic program. It's really a great value for what you get.
What advice would you have for students who are thinking about studying abroad?
Do it! No matter what your reservations are, just go. It's more of a question of what?s holding you back rather than why you should. There are so many benefits to studying abroad, I can't even count them.
What is your favorite study abroad story?
One day we were gathering roots with a tribe in Tanzania - a nomadic tribe with no form of leadership, personal possessions or money. There were four students with about 15 women from the tribe. We couldn?t communicate but they still showed us how to dig roots, prepare them and eat them. They tasted like sand! When we were done, all the women huddled and we could tell they were having kind of an argument. Finally, they all split up and walked in different directions - even though they were going back to the same meeting spot. We all had to pick a person to follow. It was strange - we watched the quarrel and then disperse. They didn't tell us what they were doing and we had to trust them as we wandered off with them. We all ended up back in the same spot but it was just an interesting situation.
I did multiple J-Term programs to the Ukraine, Tanzania and Morocco. I did the London Business Semester in the fall of 2004 and I did a summer program in China in 2004.
Why did you decide to study abroad?
I came to St. Thomas wanting to do a semester in London. But, my sophomore year, I was walking through the quad and saw a table with J-Term study abroad information. I grabbed some course descriptions and thought it sounded like a good idea. I looked for courses that would fulfill my requirements and found a theology course going to the Ukraine. After I did the first J-Term course, I wanted to do more. I have actually taken all of my courses abroad to fulfill requirements - they just happened to be in exotic locations.
What was the greatest benefit of studying abroad?
The biggest benefit is educational - you can learn so much more studying abroad than in a regular classroom at St. Thomas. It's easier to absorb the information because you are experiencing it and living it. Instead of three hours a week in a lab at St. Thomas, I fulfilled my lab requirement by going to Tanzania. I walked around with elephants and giraffes and hunted with local tribes. It was an once-in-a-lifetime experience. I learned lab-science but I also learned about the greater issues that are affecting the life and culture of people in Tanzania.
It?s also a cultural experience that you can't get anywhere else. The professors have contacts in the local community so you get to do things that a normal tourist couldn't do. In the Ukraine, we got to meet families and local citizens showed us around. And that really helps in the understanding of the class. Theology in the Ukraine is so much more than simply theology because it has the culture intertwined. It was the same way in Morocco when we were studying art - you had to understand the culture to understand the art.
What are the biggest challenges to studying abroad?
With the J-Term programs, especially, it's the schedule. It is an exhausting four weeks because you are always going, going, going. In China, we did five cities in three weeks. In Morocco, we were in nine cities in a month. I loved it but it is hard work. Group dynamics also comes into play on short-term programs because you are with the same people all the time. But, you just have to keep telling yourself that, even though someone is annoying you, you are probably annoying someone else. It comes down to respect.
Were finances a problem?
Finances are a challenge because you are away from working and, at least for J-Term are paying the additional expense. But, when you really think about what you are getting for the money you are paying - it's a great value! You would have to spend your tuition money if you were taking a course at St. Thomas and semester abroad is comparable. For J-terms, the extra money goes toward lodging, airfare, food and the unique cultural experiences you get as part of an academic program. It's really a great value for what you get.
What advice would you have for students who are thinking about studying abroad?
Do it! No matter what your reservations are, just go. It's more of a question of what?s holding you back rather than why you should. There are so many benefits to studying abroad, I can't even count them.
What is your favorite study abroad story?
One day we were gathering roots with a tribe in Tanzania - a nomadic tribe with no form of leadership, personal possessions or money. There were four students with about 15 women from the tribe. We couldn?t communicate but they still showed us how to dig roots, prepare them and eat them. They tasted like sand! When we were done, all the women huddled and we could tell they were having kind of an argument. Finally, they all split up and walked in different directions - even though they were going back to the same meeting spot. We all had to pick a person to follow. It was strange - we watched the quarrel and then disperse. They didn't tell us what they were doing and we had to trust them as we wandered off with them. We all ended up back in the same spot but it was just an interesting situation.
