SCU Students Around the World

By Joanne Santomauro & Lauren Tsugawa

"Nothing makes me feel dumber than shopping here," said junior Timothy Fong, currently studying abroad in Lund, Sweden. "Today I tried to buy cookies, and ended up with crackers."

Experiences like these are not atypical of life abroad, according to many Santa Clara students.

"I love it here," remarks junior Danielle Pontes, currently studying abroad at Auckland University in New Zealand. "The people are so nice. I lost my wallet on the street one night and it got returned to my university the next day. Insane right?"

Only four percent of American college students study abroad, yet over 30 percent of Santa Clara students study abroad some during their college career. In fact, Santa Clara's study abroad program ranks number one in the top 20 Master's institutions with "mid-length" duration programs, and number nine in the overall total number of study abroad students among Top 40 Master's institutions.

Currently, the university has 345 students abroad with programs in over 40 countries. Students are admitted to study abroad programs through careful review of their academic achievement, intent to study abroad, units completed, and the overall cost of the program.

Fortunately, there are various ways to make studying abroad affordable. Programs differ in price, but if students wish to study abroad during the school year, all financial aid from the university is transferable. Students may also apply for external grants.

Though the thought of being abroad for a semester or even a year is exciting, many students are apprehensive toward the idea of living in a foreign country. Homesickness and culture shock are two aspects of being abroad that students cannot learn about through pamphlets. To give interested students a more authentic view of the experience of studying in another country, the International Programs office provides International Ambassadors. These ambassadors are student volunteers who have recently returned from studying abroad themselves and have volunteered to serve as mentors for students who are planning to do so in the future. They serve the Santa Clara community through blogging, community outreach events and student mentor programs.

"I remember the first few days being extremely overhwelming in the sense that Swedish was a completely foreign language to me," said senior Alexandra Dean, an International Ambassador who studied abroad at Lund University in Sweden last fall. "However, by my second week in Lund I woke up one morning to go to class and stood at the bus stop nervous about having to speak Swedish to the bus driver. Yet the moment I got on that bus I felt a surge of confidence and said to the bus driver 'ett ban tack,' meaning 'one child please' and there was no confused look on his face-- he just assumed I was Swedish. That was the most amazing feeling to think 'wow, I have really started to fit in here and I can really do this.'"

Junior Kristyn Heath, another International Ambassador currently abroad in Barcelona, had also entered her program with some apprehension.

"I've never traveled abroad without my parents and I've definitely never been away from home for three and a half months. The idea of going to Spain by myself is scary, but at the same time, it's thrilling. Somehow all of the fears and anxieties I once had disappear."

Although many resources are readily available for students who wish to study abroad, some may still wonder why studying abroad is important. Dr. Terry Shoup, Interim Executive Director of International Programs, believes students will gain valuable experiences abroad that they could not elsewhere.

"Studying abroad helps students understand their own values. They can immerse themselves in other cultures completely - an experience that tourism doesn't offer," said Shoup.

When asked what her favorite part of being abroad was, junior Krislyn Aki, attending the Santa Clara London direct exchange program, replied,

"I absolutely love being able to take a train to another country for just the weekend. I have visited Paris, Brussels, Dublin, Edinburgh, and Wales so far, and there is no way I'd be able to do that back in Santa Clara."

Junior Emma Peterson, who is currently studying in London, has also enjoyed seeing the rest of Europe.

"My favorite part of studying abroad so far was Oktoberfest in Germany where we met people from all over the world, but also had a huge Santa Clara reunion for all of us studying over here," she said.

While abroad, students can choose to live in dorms or with home-stay families. Though choosing to live with a home-stay family often means a longer commute to school, some students feel that it allows them to connect with the country's culture in a much deeper way.

"I love living with a host family," said junior Zoe Abrams, who is currently studying in Italy with the Santa Clara Rome program. "They cook super good food five days a week, and it saves me money. My host mom does my laundry too."

What many students don't realize, however, is that in addition to learning about the culture of the country they are in, they are teaching others about American culture as well.

"[Studying abroad] gives you a chance to tell the rest of the world what students from an American Jesuit university are like," continued Shoup.

Shoup works with a wide variety of students from various disciplines, but because he also serves as the Dean of Engineering, he specializes in providing opportunities for engineers to study abroad and fulfill the rigid course load their majors require.

Most engineering abroad programs are offered in English-speaking countries, simply because of the nature of the curriculum - most technological terms used in engineering are English terms. Thus, the most popular engineering programs are in locations like Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom; but newly developed bilingual programs for engineers are also available in places like Madrid.

However, along with the addition of many exciting new programs, the International Programs office also elected to discontinue programs that were not the best fit for the Santa Clara community.

"We examine programs to see if they are a good match for Santa Clara. Programs like 'Semester at Sea' are good programs, but not necessarily the best match for Santa Clara," said Shoup.

However, if students have a compelling reason to study abroad in a specific location, the International Programs office may be able to help. About 96 percent of students participate in programs in the general portfolio, but a small percentage of students work with the office to study in areas other than those affiliated with Santa Clara.

"My favorite part of working in the International Programs Office is working with students from different departments, and working with a staff that cares so deeply about their students' success," said Shoup.

Whether students elect to study in Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, or even North America, Shoup believes studying abroad is important for students.

"Every student I've spoken to says their experience abroad was life-transforming. They say, 'I'll never be the same again.'"

Contact Joanne at jsantomauro@scu.edu, Lauren at ltsugawa@scu.edu or at (408) 551-1918.