Earlier this week, information about the Study Abroad Program was offered to students in the Campus Center as a part of the Study Abroad fair.
The fair took place Monday through Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
The Study Abroad fair included tables full of brochures, program fliers, application packages, luggage tags, photo books, car decals and even a chance to write letters to students who are studying abroad right now.
Students could talk to alumni about their trips and receive their personal feedback about their experience.
“The fair is for students who are interested in studying abroad and want information about some of the location sites,” said Rachel Brown, Study Abroad coordinator.
What some students may not realize is how many opportunities there are to study abroad and all the places they can go.
“There are some really cool things happening and I encourage every student at ACU to look into it,” Brown said.
One thing Brown and the other members of the Study Abroad program are excited about is the advanced French-speaking program that will take place in Lille, France, this summer. The students will spend six weeks in France and take some upper level French classes.
“We haven’t offered a program there before so this is a new offer,” Brown said.
Brown said there is a COBA, biology and a Shakespeare/English program going to Oxford, England, this summer. There is also a psychology and a JMC program going to Leipzig, Germany, this summer.
She said in the fall of 2013 in Montevideo, Uruguay, the students will spend 10 days in Peru working with people who have planted a church there. Students will also be learning about the Incan people, hiking Machu Picchu, and spending time in Cuzco.
She said students who go to Oxford in the fall of 2013 will spend two weeks in Spain learning about the Iberian Peninsula people.
Chase Beakley, junior international studies major from Odessa, studied abroad in Oxford in the spring of 2012.
“I gained a much broader approach to how I learn. You just open up to new ways of problem solving and learning. I encourage every student to go for it,” Beakley said.
Beakley will be studying abroad in Lille, France, with the French Department in the summer.
Brown said Study Abroad enrollment has stayed pretty constant in the past few years. About 25 to 27 percent of a graduating class will have studied abroad by the time they graduate at ACU.
“I’m studying abroad this summer and going to the fair this week really gave me a better insight on what to expect,” said Natalie Goin, sophomore advertising and public relations major from Fort Worth.
The deadline for applications for fall 2013 and summer 2013 programs is March 1st. The application materials can be dropped off in the Center for International Education in the Hardin Administration building in room 124.
“That’s really important because if students are thinking about studying abroad this fall or this summer, then they need to get their stuff in,” Brown said.
For more information, students can send an email to study_abroad@acu.edu or visit the website at www.acu.edu/studyabroad.