Students interested in studying abroad gathered in the galleria of the Jordan Hall of Science on Monday night for the University's 2015 Study Abroad Fair, during which they could meet with international program representatives and learn more about the wide variety of programs that Notre Dame offers.
Notre Dame believes studying abroad is a vital element to academic formation, according to the Notre Dame International (NDI) 2015-2016 study abroad brochure, and as such provides eligible students with an array of opportunities to take classes abroad.
Sophomore Rebecca Wiley said the variety of classes and experiences outside of the classroom are what draw her to the idea of studying abroad.
“The ability to discover a new culture different from what we get here on campus is what draws me to the opportunity to study abroad,” Wiley said.
Wiley said after visiting the Ireland booth at the Study Abroad Fair that the unique class offerings in Dublin appealed to her.
“Studying abroad gives you a chance to take new classes — for example, in Dublin you have to take an Irish culture class,” Wiley said. “It gives you a chance to meet new people that you never knew here on campus and collaborate on projects and subjects that you’re interested in.”
This year’s Study Abroad Fair also provided pizza and door prizes for students that came to learn more about the international programs. Door prizes included two round-trip plane tickets to NDI study abroad locations and three $200 gift cards to Hammes Bookstore.
“I was especially excited for the two free round-trip tickets knowing that next year would be the first year that airfare would be considered a personal expense,” Wiley said.
Sophomore Erin Callaghan said the fair helped her narrow down her choices for program locations based on her language of study. Callaghan, a German major, said that she hopes to be fluent in German and believes studying abroad will further contribute to sharpening her language acquisition skills.
“Learning a new language makes me more appreciative of other people’s cultures because we are often usually only focused on our own,” Callaghan said. “It gives you a broad perspective of other parts of the world that we may not be exposed to.”
Sophomore Rosie LoVoi said she was surprised by the large interest in study abroad programs.
“I recognized a lot of people in my grade who were preparing to apply, but I also saw more freshmen than I expected,” Lovoi said. “I think it goes to show that the Notre Dame community is really interested in furthering their academic experience outside of what’s familiar.”
After attending the fair, LoVoi, a Program of Liberal Studies major, said she was most interested in participating in the Dublin program.
“Dublin is a really interesting city that has a lot of literary history and resources to offer,” she said.
LoVoi said she thought the fair was a success and gave students and representatives a chance to share their personal opinions on their experiences studying abroad.
“It was really awesome to see how many different options there were that can appeal to different kinds of interest and can get people out of their comfort zones,” she said.
