Utah students study around the world
Left to right: Troy Esquibel, Corbin Standley, Tasha Cottom, Robb Merrill (top), Kevin Buckway, Christina Summers, and Shay Larsen on the beach near the Mediterranean coast of southern France.
Left to right: Troy Esquibel, Shay Larsen, Kevin Buckway, Robb Merrill, Marc Nelson, Katie Nelson, Corbin Standley, Christina Summers, and Tasha Cottam enjoying a French dinner at Le Vintage in Nimes, France.
Corbin Standley in front of the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy, during a Study Abroad experience in 2014.
Corbin Standley on the ruins of Kenilworth Castle in England, during a Study Abroad experience with Weber State University in 2014..
Corbin Standley at Le Vintage restaurant in Nimes, France, during a Study Abroad experience with Weber State College in 2014.
Christina Summers in Italy, during a Weber State University Study Abroad experience in 2014.
OGDEN — Corbin Standley says the money he paid for university Study Abroad programs was well spent, and he is planning to sign up for more.
“If I’m in debt for the rest of my life, it’s totally worth it,” he said.
Standley, of Ogden, had never traveled outside of the United States before he signed up for a Weber State University history and philosophy course in Europe.
“I learned a lot about Renaissance history,” he said. “We talked a lot about the development of the Renaissance, and what factors contributed to that big change and culture, and the big shift that took place in that time.”
He and his travel mates talked about philosophers and history, and read works by period authors.
“What’s really nice about Study Abroad is that while you’re learning about it, you’re actually seeing and experiencing it first hand — this is what the Medici family did, this is where they lived, lets go look around their mansion and see the way they lived and how they interacted with each other,” he said. “I was never really a huge history person, but it’s just riveting once you’re there experiencing it.”
Study Abroad programs are offered at most universities, and take a variety of forms. One type of program is an exchange, where you take classes at a university in another country, and that university sends a student to your school. Weber State University currently offers an exchange with Osaka City University, in Japan.
“We don’t do a lot of exchanges, but we’re starting to develop some more,” said Craig B. LaRocco, WSU’s administrator of Study Abroad and International Programs.
WSU students who want an exchange not offered by their own school are advised to sign up for programs offered through the University of Utah, Brigham Young University or Utah State University, and then transfer the credits.
Kay Forsyth, Study Abroad program director with USU’s Office of Global Engagement, said Utah universities cooperate to offer more opportunities.
“With the exchange balance, we try to match the number of outgoing and incoming,” she said. “If we have an active partner in Japan, we have more opportunities to send students there.”
Nationwide, she said, students’ first choice is an exchange with the United Kingdom, followed by Italy. However, USU is part of ISEP (International Student Exchange Program), which has partners in 150 nations.
“We sent our first student to Indonesia not long ago,” she said. “It gives students so much flexibility and choice.”
LaRocco said students can also go through third party providers, instead of their own university, but that’s usually the least desirable option because it’s often more expensive.
Students who are already planning to travel on their own can often work with professors to create a customized Study Abroad experience.
“That’s what I did,” said LaRocco. “I had a class called ‘Ballads and Folk Songs.’ I went to the professor and said, ‘I’m going to be in Chile this long, can I do something there instead of being in your class?’ and he said yes.”
LaRocco also worked out projects with other professors, and said such deals often include activities such as directed readings.
“Meet with the department chair and professors, tell them what you’ll be doing over seas, and see how that would apply to the credit that you are receiving,” he advised.
Weber State University has about 250 to 300 students participating in Study Abroad programs each year. The school’s forte is offering short term travels led by a professor.
“Quite frankly, that’s the real reason I am here,” student Christina Summers, of Ogden, said about attending WSU. “I can make my own trip and go, but I’m paying a premium to have a professor there — to have a professor who’s going not just to the Eiffel tower and all the regular places, but a professor who’s actually going to the weird off-beat places that they find in history books.”
WSU students are invited to travel through Italy during the coming spring break, to learn about business and law. Scheduled summer trips include learning about China’s healthcare system on a professor-led trip from May 7-22, and a class in Italy with WSU art professors, from May 11 to June 2. There are also trips focusing on the archaeology of medieval Ireland, sociology in China, communication and mass media in Germany, humanitarian aid in Africa and Thailand, international business and language in Costa Rica, and history and culture in Spain. Professors are proposing additional courses to study geoscience in Iceland, and literature in Ireland.
Judy Elsley, director of WSU’s Honors Program, is teaming up with physics professor Brad Carroll for “Physics and Fiction in English Culture,” June 13 through July 11.
“I come from England,” said Elsley. “It will be interesting for me to go back to England and see it with people who have not been there before.”
Students in the program led by Elsley and Carroll will visit sites significant to English literature and culture, and to the birth of the scientific and industrial revolutions.
“I’m such a strong believer in the educational value of travel, whether you’re going with a class or going on your own,” said Elsley. “I travel every summer, as much as I can, and it’s been very influential in my life.”
All of the programs offer college credit. Some are just for the length of travel time, while others require some coursework before or after traveling.
“If you’ve never traveled before, it’s a great opportunity to get your feet wet, because you will be traveling with a group, and all of your accommodations are done in advance, so you don’t have to worry about that,” said LaRocco.
Most WSU Study Abroad courses cost between $2,500 and $4,500, which includes tuition and fees, as well as accommodations and sometimes breakfast. Airfare is usually not included, because students like to look for deals or add extra days in the country before or after the course.
While some students use loans to pay for Study Abroad classes, LaRocco says there are some grants and scholarships available. Other students have come up with creative ways to help pay for expenses, he said, including one student who collected aluminum cans, and another who made a point of checking vending machines for change left behind. He remembers one student who used a family member’s pressure washer to clean the neighbor’s garbage cans for a fee.
LaRocco and Forsyth say they aren’t aware of scams associated with Study Abroad programs, because their universities deal with vetted partners. Forsyth recommends that students who want to go through a third party, instead of their own university, should always check references and get testimonials from trusted sources.
Students should go into Study Abroad programs with their eyes open.
“Some offer more amenities than others, and more support,” Forsyth said, noting that accommodations range from hotels to hostels, dorms or staying with a family.
Summers was on the same European trip as Standley.
“We were a small group, and you live in each other’s back pockets,” she said. “You have be mature enough to let stuff go, and put up with your roommates, because that’s part of what makes it fun — you become a family.”
She recommends packing good shoes because there’s usually a lot of walking and stairs to deal with. She also recommends packing light, so there’s plenty of room in your bag for souvenirs. And don’t forget to bring a good camera.
Standley said as much as he learned about history, he learned more about people and cultures by studying abroad. “That’s something I don’t think you can really read in a textbook and get the same experience,” he said.
Contact reporter Becky Wright at 801-625-4274 or bwright@standard.net. Follow her on Twitter at @ReporterBWright.
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