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| A church square in Pretoria, South Africa, one of many countries visited by UCF Study Abroad students. |
New Study Abroad office sending UCF students around the world
by: Eric Stevenson
Sometimes going away to college, even if it's out of state, just isn't far away enough. Sometimes you just need to get out of the country.
The University of Central Florida's Study Abroad program offers students that opportunity, and as the program grows is continuing to offer more and more.
"Study Abroad is growing very rapidly on this campus," said Mark McMeley, assistant director of Study Abroad. "We have a record number of students going overseas for the summer and the fall of this year, a total of 250 people."
Although UCF students have been going overseas to study for some time now, it is only in the past few years that a centralized program has existed to serve the UCF student body as a whole. Previously, programs abroad were run by the academic departments, routed through other universities, or existed as student exchanges. In other words, there was no one office you could walk into and say "Send me to Europe!"
All those systems are presently the predominant way of getting overseas from UCF, but Study Abroad is preparing and planning to unveil many of its own programs for students.
"In the fall we expect that there will be new programs on the books where students can get UCF credit for Study Abroad programs," said McMeley.
In essence, new Study Abroad programs will allow for students of different majors to collectively attend an overseas institution for a semester or entire year. UCF students have already studied in about 15 countries around the globe, and new program possibilities are being explored in Russia, Japan, and Latin America.
UCF Study Abroad works similarly to overseas programs at most universities. Students can attend classes at the host country that are in programs supported by UCF, and receive UCF grades and credit hours on their transcripts as if they never left Orlando.
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| A castle in Spain, a popular destination for UCF students. |
The selection of courses for students abroad can vary as widely as it does for students at home. In the departmental programs, students are usually required to take classes within that department, whether it be language, engineering, communication, or what not. Summer 2001 programs in Italy, Germany, and Spain, for example, were run by the departments and offered intermediate and advanced classes in language and culture.
Soon, UCF students will be able to get a broader range of options by going directly through the Study Abroad office. Many students can continue work on their declared major or minor while studying overseas, and Study Abroad assists in finding those countries and universities suitable for a student's particular field of study.
"The idea for Study Abroad at UCF is that you don't lose time," said McMeley. "We want people to continue making progress on their degrees."
Other students choose to study in a particular country to help them learn that country's language, whether it be towards a degree or just for the sake of learning it. Fluency in the language of the host country is usually not mandatory, but sometimes is in programs directed at language study, such as the summer 2001 Spain program. Often enough, classes are available that are taught in English and structured specifically for American students, although they sometimes are more expensive.
Financially, the only major difference in going abroad is the airfare. Students pay their home university's tuition rates, and housing costs usually mirror those at home as well. Students who already receive financial aid may use it towards Study Abroad, and aid specifically for the program is offered by Study Abroad, as well as the Honors College and the Foreign Languages department.
Where students live when abroad varies by location. In southern Europe, such as in Spain and Italy, students are often housed with families who rent out rooms to foreign students. In other places, such as England, students are set up in apartment-like (or "flat"-like) residences set aside specifically for students.
Study Abroad expects to have more programs available in more countries for fall 2001 and spring 2002. In a year or two the number of students overseas is expected to increase to at least 400, of which quite a few may be repeat visitors.
"My time in Amsterdam was absolutely amazing," said Josilen Grover, who went to Amsterdam, Holland in the fall 2000 semster. "That trip has totally helped me to grow and see things about life and myself that I didn't realize before. I encourage every student at UCF to truly consider studying abroad for at least one term."
Further information about Study Abroad can be obtained from the Office of International Studies in the Research Pavilion on Research Parkway, suite 263. Available there are advisors to assist students, a resource library containing information on individual programs, and guidebooks with information on other programs outside UCF.
Story and page design by Eric Stevenson .