A flyer for the Study Abroad Pizza Social held on Sept. 30.
@STUDYABROADMU / INSTAGRAM
Nicholas Melendez, Staff Writer
Over the years, the study abroad opportunities at Manhattan University (MU) have become a way for students to travel parts of the world that they might not have had the chance to before. Students are able to experience different cultures, languages, food and especially, a new cadence of living.
On Sept. 30, the study abroad office put together a pizza social for prospective students looking to join the program. To bring extra sources of information and advice, international students and those who have already been abroad were also invited to the pizza social.
The meeting began with Emmett Ryan, Ph.D., executive director of the global engagement and study abroad programs, who presented news of the new Rome campus in Italy, based at the Lasallian Generalate, and that the school will be hosting students for a semester to earn 15 credits within their major. He additionally noted that this program is filling up fast, so if students are interested they should get in contact with the study abroad offices soon. Ryan then went over the winter opportunities at MU before prompting attendees to mingle amongst themselves, in hopes to ask questions and meet possible new classmates.
Ryan spoke to The Quadrangle to share insight on these upcoming opportunities during the winter intersession and future semesters.
“We have a great lineup of faculty-led winter intersession programs in India, Panama, Mexico City, Barcelona, Paris and Rome,” Ryan said. “For students who want to spend a full semester abroad, we have exchange partners all over the world. Not only is a student abroad getting to travel while collecting credits for their course, but they are also being immersed in a new culture, trying new foods, meeting new friends. It is an experience that many students have discussed enjoying thoroughly.”
Ryan believes that one of the biggest takeaways from studying abroad is growth, not just as a student, but more as a person.
“[Being in an unfamiliar country will] push students outside their familiar zones and help them become more adaptable,” Ryan said. “[They] learn how to navigate unfamiliar situations, communicate with people from different backgrounds, see the world and [themselves] from a new vantage point.”
Growth occurs when one steps out of their comfort zone, and thus flying to a whole new location in pursuit of furthering one’s academia is a great growth opportunity for many Jaspers. At the end of every trip abroad, the students will be asked for feedback so that the professors and directors of the program can better it for up-and-coming students. Ryan’s favorite feedback was from a student studying in Paris, who remarked that studying there helped them break their screen and digital device habits.
“In a place like Paris, café culture encourages you to put away your phone, sit with friends, have a long conversation, and be present,” Ryan said.
The Quadrangle spoke with some study abroad students who studied in Japan this past summer to see how this trip altered their time here at MU. Erin Stroehlein, a sophomore electrical engineering major, recounted her time in Japan and shared she wouldn’t change anything about her experience.
“[I] would definitely tell students to do it if they get the opportunity,” Stroehlein said. “I was nervous at first and worried about making friends, but I ended up loving every second of it. It might seem intimidating, but once you are there you adjust quickly.”
Liv Wagoner, psychology major and history minor, another student who went to Japan, recounted how she loved the experience so much – she went twice!
“Study abroad has shown [me] a new way of education,” Wagoner said. “The physical immersion in what [the other students and I] were studying has been [my] favorite way to learn.”
To be able to subdue oneself into different cultures, present outside of students’ native country, is an opportunity for a new way of living. Wagoner also commented that not only is it a new way of improving one’s education, it also has given her beautiful connections with other people. She encourages other students to take the chance.
“It’s crazy how close you can get with people in such a short time abroad.” Wagoner said. “It will be the best experience of [their] life. Get on that plane!”