Liberal Arts Voices

Read the perspectives of our current students

Still want to go abroad in Spring 2011? There’s still time to apply!

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According to the Global Programs website, there are still some Spring 2011 programs open, even thought the main deadline has long passed.The site doesn’t list them — but if you’re interested here’s the link to GP.  It says “Stay tuned for an announcement in August” regarding a limited number of Spring ’11 opportunities.  I’ll let you know what I hear before then if anything!

First Week in Germany

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We have just finished our first week in Pforzheim, and I have to say that Germany is amazing so far. Class has been a little rough, since we were jetlagged pretty much all week and still had to wake up for morning clases wich lasted 3 hours. Aside from being tired though, class has been pretty intersting. We’re taking a German class and a class on the EU and German culture.

 

I’m starting to pick up a little bit of German, and can now recognize a few words here and there when I hear other people speak. Almost everyone here speaks English though, so it’s not very difficult to get around. One thing that is a bit odd is that nobody here drinks tap water; they all drink carbonated mineral water and if you ask for tap water in a restaurant nobody understands. It gets kind of annoying having to buy water anywhere I go since you can’t just get a glass of water, so I just carry around a water bottle.

On Friday we went to Munich and visited the BMW plant, which was incredibly high tech. Everything was done with these automated robots that were incredibly precise. Then we went to the Haufbrahaus, which is a famous bavarian restaurant and beer garden, with some clubbing later that night. That was alot of fun, probably the best night so far. On Saturday we toured around the beautiful German countryside and saw the castle that Cinderella is based off of. It was stunning and had an incredible view. Now we’re just back in Pforzheim for another week of classes. Hopefully things are better when we aren’t jetlagged.

 

Aid for summer study abroad

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Hello fellow LA travelers,

You may be confirming your summer study abroad acceptances right now!  And then you may be thinking, okay, do I really have enough money??

There are many resources here at Penn State to help you out, starting with two web pages  from Student Financial Aid.  One of them is this one, which gives you general information about applying for grants, loans and fellowships for any kind of summer study. 

The second website addresses summer study abroad specifically: click here.

Between the two of these, as well as the Global Programs “Affording Study Abroad” webpage you should be able to get a good start at pulling all your funding together! 

Back from the University of Cape Town! Perfect Study Abroad Site!

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Hello Travelers–or hopeful travelers! If you’re looking for a wonderful place to go that’s not on the beaten track, Cape Town should be at the top of your list of possibilities! After a good week there, checking out the university and the city, I can guarantee you that it’s a place you would never regret going to. It’s a beautiful, amazing city – with a top-flight research university that’s perched half way up a mountain. Spectacular views from the campus, over the city, to the Atlantic Ocean on one side, and toward False Bay and the Indian Ocean on the other. Check out some of the photos I took on my trip:

Through the CIEE program there, which is Penn State approved, you can enroll in just about anything in the Liberal Arts disciplines, and all classes are in English. CIEE can put you up in either residential houses with other American students; or in the dorms–a little more basic but you are much more likely to feel integrated with South Africans themselves.

I talked to four Penn State students there, who were loving every minute of their time – and I filmed them! So don’t believe me, believe them:

Make sure to visit our LAUSatPSU You Tube page to check out more interviews with students currently studying abroad in Cape Town.

I’m happy to hear from anyone who’s interested in studying in Cape Town! I didn’t want to come home … (especially because it was summer–blue sky, 85 degrees!)

Day 2 in Cape Town begins…

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… after a great day 1.  Despite lost luggage (still not here this morning) I got a little oriented, walking ’round the University of Cape Town campus and enjoying its wonderful panoramas!  Weather’s in the low 80s (enjoying that snow??), really beautiful.  It sort of feels like California!

I’m Heading Abroad Too!

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While I may not technically be a student, the great thing about being a faculty member is that you’re also always a student.  So I’m travelling for the first time to Cape Town, South Africa, this coming Monday, to look at several study abroad programs there, where students like yourself would actually go from Penn State.  I’ll be on the University of Cape Town campus for a week, and then off to Stellenbosch, not far away, but there’s a separate university there where you can also study for a semester or year. So if you have any interest in going to S. Africa, keep an eye on this blog for my photos and experiences there.

Oh, and if any of you are reading this and are actually in  Cape Town, let me know!  Maybe we can meet up and I can hear about how your experience there!

Welcome to CLA Education Abroad!

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Hello everyone!

Welcome to my first official blog as Director of Liberal Arts Study Abroad Programs. And a special hello to those students abroad–we’ve got Liberal Arts students all over the world, from Beijing to Istanbul to Ireland, Germany, Africa, you name it. You can follow the experiences of some of these students on this, our LAUS Education Abroad Blog! If you have the slightest idea that you might want to study abroad, follow this blog! You’ll read first-hand about the pleasures and the challenges of living and studying in another country, and I’m sure hearing their experiences and seeing their pictures will whet your appetite.

I read with envy Nicole Zinni’s post just now — she’s in Istanbul, one of my very favorite places in the world. So spectacular (if you don’t believe me see the photo!) But I can’t feel too envious, I’m about to head off to Cape Town, a place I’ve been told is even more spectacular; we’ll see!

Meanwhile, if you’ve got questions about study abroad–when to go, how to go, how long to go, where to go, whatever–I’m the one to ask! Feel free to email me any time at jaw55@psu.edu. Or, at least visit CLA’s Education Abroad website and also the main university Education Abroad site.

I’m waiting to hear from you!

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