Studying Abroad, what a wonderful thing! You get to live this whole new life, in a new country, with new people. It’s a chance to put your life on pause and live out the dreams you’ve always had, or reinvent yourself to the person you’ve wanted to be. But this all sounds too good to be true right? Something only a rich person with unlimited money can do? False!
As a student who relies on FAFSA and other financial aid to pay for college, I did not think Studying Abroad would be an obtainable option for me. Let alone extending my semester into a semester and summer program in two different countries! What allowed me to do this extension was the Gilman Scholarship, it managed to pay the entire expenses of my summer study abroad program, including the flight.
What is the Gilman Scholarship? This scholarship is designated to undergraduate students who are receiving the Federal Pell grant (through FAFSA) at the time of their application. The student must be a U.S. Citizen or National, and the study abroad program chosen must be in an approved country, but don’t worry the list has almost 200 countries/territories that have been approved!
What’s the Gilman Scholarship’s purpose? According to the Gilman website, “A principal objective of the Gilman Scholarship Program is to expand international education opportunities by encouraging applications from students who have not previously studied abroad for undergraduate academic credit”. This is truly a great chance to get out and see the world without the stress of finding the funds to do it. There are normally two opportunities to apply each year, once in March and once in October. The scholarship is worth up to $5,000 which can often cover all or the majority of a summer program, or be a great start to funding a semester-long program!
So let me tell you about my trip! I got to go to the lovely city of Stockholm, Sweden and take part in the DIS program. With this program, I was able to take one of many unique courses, mine being Medical Diagnostics. This is a type of course I would not have expected to take until medical school. During the course, we were taken on two field trips, one to their big Hospital in Stockholm and another to a Mammogram center. This gave me and all the other students interested in medicine a new perspective to a healthcare system so different to our own here in the United States. Aside from such a great educational experience, I also had a great time with the new friends I made. In my session, I was the only Arkansas student (that I was aware of) which meant I would get to make all new friends all by myself! Intimidating at first, but easy once I got started. Six months later, I am still in regular contact with my roommate and our neighbor we became close friends with as well as a sweet friend of mine from the course I took. During our three weeks, we managed to travel all over Stockholm to all the big spots and hidden treasures. We also planned our own little trip to Oslo, Norway for a long weekend (another beautiful place I highly recommend).
As of now, I am back home at the U of A where I work at the Study Abroad Office. I get so excited when I get to talk to students about my experience and all the opportunities you have to fund your trip and make it happen. Being a Gilman Scholar will always hold a special place in my heart, and I will continue to advocate that every person eligible apply.
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About the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program
"The U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship is a grant program that enables students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad, thereby gaining skills critical to our national security and economic competitiveness.
