Overseas studies worth experience
By Ryan Gouin
Special to the
Summer Forty-Niner
Heidi Hemrick could
have chosen to spend last fall like any other routine semester -- a 12
unit semester at Orange Coast College attending classes during the
morning and afternoon.
Instead, last August,
she embarked on what the 22-year-old called "the journey of a lifetime,"
when she decided to spend the next four months studying abroad in Florence,
Italy.
Hemrick is one of
nearly 100,000 students who study abroad each year, said Cecilia Fidora,
the international program coordinator at Cal State Long Beach. Studying
overseas enhances education, helps develop self-awareness and is culturally
enriching, Fidora said.
The International
Programs, which was established by the CSU board of trustees, is an overseas
study program, which has been recognized by such highly regarded organizations
as the Council on Learning and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
This program enables
CSU students, as well as those students eligible to transfer from junior
colleges, to pursue coursework for CSU resident credit.
International programs
offers students many options related to career objectives and a specific
degree. However, different countries specialize in different subjects.
"If they are international
business majors, we can direct them to a certain place," Fidora said. "If
they are art majors, they will probably go to Italy."
To qualify for the
one-year program, students must have a 2.75 GPA, and are usually required
to be in upper division status. For the semester abroad, students
must be in sophomore standing, and carry a 2.5 GPA, Fidora said.
But financial obligation
is why only about 200 CSULB students travel abroad, she said.
When the cost of
the program is broken down, however, about half the countries are cheaper
than a year at CSULB, Fidora said. The only added expense is airfare, which
can be less expensive if the student plans ahead.
Financial aid is
also applicable overseas.
About 70 percent
of all International Programs students use some form of aid to help compensate
for their trip.
Students attend school
three to five days a week and are given the opportunity to travel anywhere
they wish during weekends.
"I would go to a
different country every three weeks or so," Hemrick said.
While traveling abroad
may not change every studentís life, it will distinguish his or her background
from the rest.
For those students
interested in studying overseas, CSULB will have a Study Abroad Fair, Oct.
20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., in front of the Bookstore. |
![[news]](http://www.csulb.edu/~d49er/Icon/news.gif){kind=icon}
![[sports]](http://www.csulb.edu/~d49er/Icon/sports.gif){kind=icon}