Global education office offers study abroad planning tips

Sometimes the best way to learn is through experience. Hundreds of study abroad programs are offered through the Viterbo Global Education office, located in Murphy Center, room 400. Study abroad coordinator, Susan Pham, and Director of the Global Education Department, Beth Moore, are both available on weekdays to get students started on planning a trip of their own.

The process of choosing a study abroad trip is a "big commitment" Moore said. Viterbo finds opportunities for programs from many providers, such as other universities overseas, some that may have exchange programs, and independent educational organizations. Viterbo establishes relationships with these providers and reviews them for what they offer academically and how their programs can provide credits for students.

Credits determined for a program vary, Moore said. Some programs qualify for general education credits or can apply to a students major or minor. Almost every major at Viterbo has programs that can provide credits for graduation or experience in that field. Students can determine the amount of credits or the area of their education they'd like their credits to fill, depending on what's needed in their degree audit.

Moore recommends students start planning for a trip abroad months ahead. If students are planning to study abroad the summer of 2011, they would begin researching and preparing for their trip in the fall of 2010. If students wanted to begin planning a trip for this coming summer, they should begin now.

This is what Megan Loftsgaarden, a senior biology major, did. She started visiting the Global Education office her freshman year, and didn't actually work a trip to China into her schedule until this past summer. The first thing the office did to help her was "have a pre-meeting," Loftsgaarden said. "We went over programs and different ways you were able to study abroad." Since freshman year, she had also started planning her study abroad trip to Belize, which she'll be taking over holiday break Dec. 27 to Jan. 8, 2010.

These programs, plus hundreds more, can be researched by visiting the Global Education office's library, which carries catalogues in a variety of areas and program options and locations. Students can also look online for information at www.viterbo.edu/globaleducation, or pick up information from the office, which is open 8 a.m to 5 p.m daily.

Knowing a foreign language is not required, because many of the programs offer English speaking courses and guidance. Within the past five years, students have visited Latin America, Africa, Western Europe, and Asia without taking a language course beforehand. Traveling to English speaking countries such as the United Kingdom or Australia are popular choices too.

Financial aid is still available, Moore said. Moore said federal and state financial aid are both offered to students to help them pay for their experience. Other forms of financial aid or need-based, private, or are supplementary loans. Specific grants and loans are provided by certain programs, and students can research what funds apply through the office. Some of the international independent programs Viterbo is associated with offer their own programs and scholarships for students from the states.

Viterbo also provides a study abroad scholarship that replaces any other scholarships that student receives for the time of the trip. Some trips are taken for one entire semester. Students can even choose to study for a whole school year. The summer abroad study trips can last from three weeks to as long 10 weeks. Short-term summer trips, lasting about two weeks, are usually from a course taken during the semester and finished through a trip in the summer where the course credit is completed.

Once students apply for their program, they will wait until they get accepted. At that point, students can then apply for financial aid immediately after, which is another reason why it helps to plan ahead, just because these processes can take time. The Global Education office continues to work with the students as they plan for their trip and start getting in contact and communicating with their provider.

Of the student body at Viterbo, 68 students studied abroad in the 2008—2009 academic school year. Ten to 12 students went on study abroad trips over the summer, seven to 12 took a full semester trip, and the others were involved in the short term trips, where they traveled abroad for a class. With the increasing enrollment, Viterbo is excited for the larger amount of students who may possibly be interested in studying in another county while broadening their schedule and horizons.

"It's very eye opening. Everything is completely different," Loftsgaarden said. "I feel like I can see the bigger picture and have a larger view of the world now."