ALEXANDRIA NIEVES and AMBER MATTICE
Special to The Leader and Managing Editor
Studying abroad is an opportunity that piques the interest of many students on Fredonia’s campus.
The Division of Academic Affairs, the International Education department and the Study Abroad and Student Exchange program held their annual fair on Sept. 11, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., to showcase the various programs and explain to students what the process behind studying abroad entails.
“There are many places you can go. It all depends on what your major is, and then once you have that all settled down, you start looking at where you want to go and if that university teaches what you need [for your major],” said Gary Leslie, an officer from the University of Roehampton in London. “All that would be left is saving up the money to pay for it all and have fun.”
The study abroad fair allows students an opportunity to speak to SUNY representatives, Fredonia faculty and peers who have already studied abroad about their experiences in various countries. Fredonia offers over 1,100 study abroad options to various places including England, Italy, Japan, Peru and several others.
“When I came to Fredonia, they didn’t have any Japanese study abroad programs that I was interested in but the office of study abroad and Erin Willis [the assistant director of study abroad and student exchange programs], specifically, was amazing about updating me as a contract was drawn up for a new study abroad program that just happened to fit what I needed exactly,” said Makenzie Smith, a junior English major who will be studying abroad in Niigata, Japan for the 2017-18 academic year.
With the diversity of the programs at Fredonia, students are able to pick a program that truly works for them, and the study abroad fair allows for those potential travelers to see all of their options in one cohesive place.
“It allows students to take what they enjoy and bring it to other cultures to see what they do with it because art over in Italy was very different than art over in America,” said senior BFA graphic design major, Marissa Doing. Doing recently studied abroad to Italy through the “Arts of Italy” summer program offered through Fredonia.
Each country offers their own unique experiences for students to explore and gives them a different environment to pursue their education in. The study abroad fair is meant to help students realize this and convince them to take advantage of the plethora of options offered by the university.
“I think everyone should study abroad because you come back more mature than when you left,” said Smith. “And what better time in your life to see the world than college when it can benefit you academically as well as personally?”