The Story
The International Student
At a hotbed of international curiosity like the College, it is only natural that hordes of students choose to go abroad at some point in their academic career. But, in fact, many of those who travel outside American borders during their tenure at William and Mary had not planned on going abroad before attending school here. And the numbers keep increasing.
As of last year, more than 700 undergraduates have gone abroad each semester. Why go? The reasons are many and diverse. They include international service trips, independent study programs, foreign exchange programs and even undergraduate research. But the fun doesn’t stop there: some William and Mary graduates go abroad even after graduation.
The options for future and, sometimes, long-term international living are even more plentiful. Students can strive for a Fulbright Scholarship, continued language study and ambitious academic research.
With the options and possibilities continuing to grow, it can be overwhelming to consider. How do we make this seemingly limitless bounty more manageable? The best way to find out all the information is to stop by the Charles Center, located in the basement of Tucker Hall. It boasts a bevy of scholarship information, most of which can be invaluable in your selection and financial arrangements.
Another on-campus resource providing international knowledge to the curious is the Reves Center. Offering a wide variety of programs, ranging from summer abroad to faculty-sponsored trips, the Reves Center puts visions of international learning in the heads of even the most hesitant candidates. As a result, the destination of travel is nearly unlimited for any student. In fact, a student can even pursue overseas study through another school, granted that he or she finds an appropriate affiliated program. Or the student can pursue a program completely independent.
The bottom line? Even if William and Mary doesn’t offer the desired program, there is always a way to make the journey happen. Even for the extremely ambitious, though, the opportunity will require a lot of research and dedication. For a student who is doing a non-affiliated study abroad program, he or she will have to take responsibility for contacting the host school and setting up all arrangements for semester or summer enrollment themselves. However, this supposed challenge can also make the experience much more rewarding.
But the Charles and Reves centers can only tell you so much. The real wealth of knowledge comes from students themselves. It’s hard to find a student whose outlook on life and living was not changed by his or her experience abroad. And it’s also hard to find one who will tell you that the learning was limited to classes.
Coming Back with Stories
Colin Pearson, (’09), knows firsthand. After spending the spring semester in Spain, Pearson will advise that if you remain open to new, random experiences, “you’ll always have a good story to tell.” He also warns of taking your classes too seriously. “It's not really about the classes. Don't overload with classes or take them too seriously, because otherwise you'll wind up missing out on some really great experiences. Interact with whomever you can.”
Clara Ngomba, (’09), echoes his words. Ngomba went to Athens, Greece this past spring. She, like Colin, learned to speak a language, enjoy a new culture and discover a new sense of self. “Before I left, I never realized how much I needed a personal, international experience where I could immerse myself completely in a culture unlike my own. I learned a different language, ate different foods, and sometimes wore different clothes - but most of the learning while I was in Greece came from within,” she says.
Once again, it seems as though the real learning happens outside the classroom walls and even outside the confines of a pocket dictionary.
Crystal Nwokorie, (’10), is more than ready to experience this learning. She is currently preparing to travel to Singapore and advocates starting in advance and finding the right program.
“For any who are interested in going to Singapore, William and Mary has a really nice exchange program with the National University of Singapore. If everything works out all right, I will be there next semester. It’s one of the best universities in Southeast Asia and it has a tuition exchange open-enrollment program so I can take any classes I want within any discipline.”
Colin, Clara and Crystal, like any veteran student travelers, will tell a study abroad newbie that the first thing to do is set up an appointment with a study abroad advisor. If that sounds intimidating, don’t hesitate to stop by the Reves Center and go to the second floor for a pre-advising session.
For the fall semester, the only days to go are Tuesdays and Thursdays. Time slots on those days are quite flexible and are normally in the afternoon. An employee at the Reves Center will talk about the basics of preparation and answer any questions you may have. Also, the student will be introduced to the Reves library, with a wide selection of programs grouped by country and sponsor.
Before the session is over, the student should receive a folder full of very, very important paperwork. Yes, the preparation process will be very long, but the sooner it is dealt with, the less painful it will be.
Before any sort of study abroad program is undertaken, the department of study has to know the student’s plan. That is to say, the student has to register and fill out a “consortium agreement,” which is required for students receiving financial aid in the form of loans, scholarships and grants.
Financial aid depends on the program. Nonetheless, a student should try not to feel limited by money. There are too numerous ways to get around that problem. On the other side of the preparation folder are a few tips to help better enjoy the study abroad experience.
Each person reacts differently to being abroad, and will therefore have different stories. To make it more meaningful, the only way to find out all the answers is to ask the questions.
Once the initial obstacle, the paperwork, is taken care of, next comes the actual departure preparation. All students must accept that they will be in a foreign environment away from their family, friends and everything they have ever known. The one thing that all study abroad students enjoy is their sense of independence. Most feel confident, more mature, and more aware. Before a student actually leaves the country, he or she should be relatively familiar with his or her region of choice.
Also, don’t feel so compelled to bring a lot of clothes. Leaving the States for a while will be fun, but dragging two suitcases will not be. In fact, count on extra baggage that accumulates while staying in the host country, like souvenirs, pictures, mementos or postcards. Things that must be brought, though, are tickets, passports and cash. It also helps to come prepared for the weather, especially with any necessary prescribed medicines. Be prepared to tell everyone back home that the abroad experience is important.
Ngomba said the most important surprise she experienced was not in the cuisine, culture or even language, but rather in her own abilities.
“It was a perfect time and opportunity for me to challenge myself and break out of my comfort zone. I cannot wait to go back to Greece. In fact, I hope one day, I'll find myself there on a more permanent basis. Until then, I'll just have to eat as many gyros and as much baklava as I can to remind me of Greece,” she said.
For those who may not know, the Reves Center is located next to the Campus Center, but if the actual walk is impossible, visit the Reves Center Web site. E-mail anyone there, and someone will point you in the right direction. Who knows where you’ll end up? The possibilities are endless.
This piece originally appeared in the November 2008 issue issue of The DoG Street Journal.