The Study Abroad Fair was held this past Thursday in the Student Union Ballroom to help students learn more about the different study abroad opportunities that Longwood offers.
The Office of International Affairs set up the annual Study Abroad Fair from two to five pm in the Lankford Student Union Ballroom.
The Executive Director of International Affairs, Petra Visscher, explained, “The goal of the Study Abroad Fair is for students to be able to attend, gather information, ask questions, learn about the programs and then come to the Office of International Affairs so they can get information to begin a program.”
The entire ballroom was filled with various tables pertaining to different locations and programs that would satisfy different student’s needs. Visscher stated, “You can go all over the world from Mongolia to Australia to Freeland, you name it.” Some of the tables were geared towards one specific place students could go like Thailand, Germany, London, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.
The Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator in the Department of Theatre, Art and Graphic & Animation Design, Leslie Cook- Day, was enthused for Longwood students to travel to London in the upcoming summer of 2015. She stated, “London has so much influence on the world, especially America. It is modern, thriving in history and the culture is live.”
In order for Longwood students not to forget about the opportunities available to them, each table had flyers, packets, booklets and business cards that they could take home with them.
The different study abroad providers also had contact sheets so that students could write down their information. This made it easy for providers to continue to stay in contact, even after the fair was over.
Many different providers attended the Study Abroad Fair in order to reach out to Longwood students, ranging from faculty programs, exchange programs, and affiliated providers.
The faculty programs are directly run through Longwood and they are usually only two to four weeks long during the summer or winter break. The exchange programs and affiliated programs usually last an entire semester, as well as extending into the summer.
Longwood University not only allows for their students to join exchange programs, but also allows students from other countries to participate in exchange programs at our University. German exchange student, Johanna
Jumg-Frank, attended the Study Abroad Fair to give first hand experience to Longwood students on what it is like to study abroad. Jumg- Frank explained, “Studying abroad makes you independent, improves your language skills, allows you to mature and builds your self-confidence.”
Visscher hopes that more Longwood students will choose to study abroad. She explained, “Longwood is new to semester programs, so not a lot of students are going on these trips.” She went on to say, “The faculty programs work well for students because they are able to pay Longwood tuition and then go somewhere else.”
The staff of the Office of International Affairs was very encouraging of students choosing to study abroad. The student worker of the Office of International Affairs, Emma Kauffman, said, “When you study abroad, you build relationships and make connections with people from other countries.”
