Whether to study a
foreign language, to conduct undergraduate research or to learn about
other cultures and experience the educational systems in other
countries, many students choose to study abroad during part of their
college careers.
Scholarships are available for studying abroad
from individual colleges, departments, outside sources and the Office of
Study Abroad. These scholarships and grants range from a couple hundred
dollars to more than $10,000. "Everyone should go abroad, and now is the time to do it," Kathleen Condray, professor of German, said. After graduating from college, most people won't be able to find time to travel internationally, she said.
"You'll have a mortgage, three kids and a dog," Condray added.
Senior Ben Quattlebaum "The whole world should
study abroad, especially Americans, though. It opens so many doors of
opportunity."Quattlebaum studied in Santiago, Chile last fall. He said he was fluent in Spanish before he went to Chile, but he was fascinated with the dialect of the people there.
"I immersed myself in their dialect," Quattlebaum said. "It's beautiful."
Students can explore a different society while obtaining upper level foreign language credit when studying abroad, he said.
"While learning about a different culture, you learn about your own," he said. "You realize what you really love about your society, and what you really hate."
Read the full article by Elizabeth St. John with the Arkansas Traveler
