Historically our students who go abroad have tended to want to go primarily in the fall semester of their junior year. As I have said before, the pro of that is they get to go abroad with the largest group of their friends, and the con of that is they are unlikely to live in the residence hall of their choice with the roommate of their choice (as they will be filling in beds vacated by spring abroad students or those who take a semester off, etc.) You can read more about that conundrum here, or listen to our recent webinar about it.

Increasingly we have students who are interested in a summer abroad experience. This has the benefit of not interrupting students’ academic path or major, allows them to live on campus in fall and spring in the building of their choice with the roommate of their choice. Summer abroad can also be great for students who are not sure they would want to be away for a full semester; 15 weeks can be a long time to be in a foreign country and so far from home.

I did a summer session abroad when I was a student (and enjoyed it very much). My recollection was that the pickings of where to go were somewhat slim. Recently I received an email showing the breadth and depth of summer abroad offerings and I was blown away. Your students can check out some really incredible options:

WFU Cuba: Cuban Culture and Society 3 hrs of SPA

WFU Egypt: Arabic Language and Culture, 6 hrs of language credit and MES 210

WFU Ghana: Africa in World History, HST 105 (D) or AFS 220 – Divisional I credit

WFU Vienna SSII: Intro to Philosophical Ideas, PHI 112 (D) Divisional I credit

WFU India: Culture, Communication, and History, COM 360 or HST 311 

WFU St. Vincent and the Grenadines: Environmental Communication, a Caribbean Context, COM 370

WFU Cambridge: British Lit and the Definition of Britishness, ENG 302 (D) Divisional II credit

WFU Rome: Social Psychology, PSY 260

WFU Australia: Ecology and Resource Management, BIO 356

I have to say I am green with envy (I would do that Egypt trip in a nanosecond if I could).

One more upcoming opportunity is for current seniors:

Does life after Wake seem daunting? Are you interested in learning strategies to successfully navigate this transition? Join one of our 2020 Senior Mentoring Groups to discuss your upcoming transition to “the real world” with a supportive group of peers feeling the same way.

Groups will meet five times from mid-February through mid-April, for conversation and reflection, planning and feedback. By the end you will have resources and strategies to navigate what’s next, for you. The application deadline is February 7 and space is limited; students can access the application here.

Hope interested Deacs take advantage of these options!

— by Betsy Chapman, Ph.D. (’92, MA ’94)

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