The Story
Tribe Vibe: Study Abroad
This article is the latest in The DoG Street Journal's weekly series of opinions pieces, "Tribe Vibe." Tribe Vibe discusses the most important aspects of William and Mary, the Tribe and life in Williamsburg.
As if starting college isn’t enough to worry about, studying abroad just seems like another thing that causes stress. However, studying abroad -- that is, living and taking classes in another country -- is an extraordinary experience that William and Mary encourages for all of its students.
According to the Reves Center for International Studies (more simply referred to as Reves or the Reves Center), over 600 students study abroad every year. These students choose to study away from William and Mary’s campus for a summer, a semester or an entire school year.
Go Anywhere. Really.
William and Mary hosts several study abroad programs around the world. These programs are anywhere from Universidad Pablo Olavide in Sevilla, Spain, to Peking University in Beijing, China. There are also exchange programs with other universities -- students can choose to enroll at a university from a list that includes St. Andrews University in Scotland and University of Adelaide in Australia. The benefit of the programs with a William and Mary tie is that tuition and credits transfer almost seamlessly.
But if no program on these lists strike your fancy, William and Mary accepts dozens of programs around the world. I was determined to study in Barcelona, Spain, even though we didn’t have a program there. I ended up studying through IES (The Institute for the International Education of Students), an independent organization that has study abroad programs around the world. There are many more companies like this one, and chances are, there’s a program in whatever city you’d like to study.
Learn a New Language… Or Pick Up an Accent.
If you studied a foreign language in high school and/or college, that could be your starter course in being able to live in another country. While several study abroad programs have a language requirement, many don’t and encourage you to learn completely by immersion. Not many people speak Italian, for example, but Italy is an extremely popular study abroad country. It’s all a learning experience, though!
There were a few people in my program who knew absolutely no Spanish, and over the course of the semester, they learned how to hold conversations and live in a Spanish-speaking country. It seems daunting, but locals are almost always willing to let you try to speak their native language and make mistakes. I relied on a lot of hand gestures, but I managed to communicate in supermarkets, airports, cell phone stores and doctors’ offices.
If languages aren’t your thing, you can still go abroad! You’re not just limited to countries that speak other languages -- you have several options for English-speaking countries: Scotland, England, Australia, South Africa… and if you try really hard, you may be able to pick up a cool accent and impress all your friends back home.
Use the Reves Center!
Let the Reves Center help you figure out what you want! The Reves Center, located next to the Campus Center, has a knowledgeable staff that encourages each William and Mary student to find the right program for them. The Reves Center is a tool to help you look for a service-learning program (in which you study and volunteer abroad) or for a way to connect with international students on campus.
Upperclassmen can also apply to live in the Reves Center dorm, which focuses on the international community at William and Mary. Reves is one of the special interest housing options at The College, and according to their website, Reves Hall is “for students eager to learn about global and international issues and interested in cross-cultural exchange.”
Even though you may not go abroad until your junior year, it’s never too early to start looking into it. William and Mary and the Reves Center makes it easy for students to experience life in another country. Make it happen! It’s definitely worth it.
For more information on the Reves Center or study abroad, visit their website.
Stacey Marin is the Editor in Chief and an opinions contributor for The DSJ. Her views do not necessarily represent those of the entire staff.