By: Addison McKissack
A_m982@txstate.edu
SAN
MARCOS, Texas -- Despite the benefits students associate with the Study Abroad
program, some said information is inaccessible.
Texas State has multiple Study Abroad opportunities for
students throughout the year. The Study Abroad Office sends out email occasionally
to help educate students on ways to get involved with the program, but students
have said it isn’t enough considering how many benefits the program can
give them.
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| Ness Aguilar Photo by Addison McKissack |
Some
students have said that studying abroad gives them a leg up when compared to
those who chose not to study abroad. Senior Ness Aguilar, said these benefits are
a reason for wanting to study outside of the country.
"Being able to get experience with different types of
business models in different countries would be really beneficial to me," Aguilar
said, who is a business management major.
A
study by The University of California Merced showed that 97 percent of students
who studied abroad were able to find work within 12 months of graduating. Compare
this to the 49 percent of graduates who find work in the same amount of time without
having a program like Study Abroad under their belt.
 |
| Alma Cavazos Photo by Ashley Brown |
A
pull for students to study abroad is the ability to be immersed in a new
culture. This is a benefit for education major Alma Cavazos.
"You
can study and learn the culture of where you're staying. You can see how people
are treated there and you can come home and show people all their customs and
cultures," Cavazos said.
 |
| Shayna Davis Photo by Addison McKissack |
Despite
being in the middle of the semester and multiple emails having been sent out
about Study Abroad opportunities, students like freshman Shayna Davis are
unsure how to get involved.
"I've gotten a
couple emails about a meeting to get information about it, but other than that
I don't know anything about it," said Davis. "I want to get into it
but I don't know how to start."
 |
| Quinton Carter Photo by Ashley Brown |
Some students, including
freshman Quinton Carter, said the way the program has been advertised and dealt
with has something left to be desired.
“They need
to intrigue me to go, not just tell me about it. I know that they have a Study
Abroad Fair today, but they make it in the middle of the day and most students
have class during that time,” Carter said.
 |
| Lily Colin Photo by Quin Palmer |
Another issue
that some students see with the Study Abroad program is the lack of funds and
information regarding scholarships they can put towards a program like this.
Money seems to be a huge issue for some students like freshman Lily Colin.
“The money's the only thing stopping me,” Colin
said.
However, according to HerCampus.com,
there are multiple scholarship opportunities to help students afford studying
abroad. Texas State needs to work on making this information more accessible to
students who are worried about financials.
 |
| Jacob Hennigan Photo by Jhazmine Billups |
Despite
the issues with inaccessibility to the information, some students, like junior
Jacob Hennigan, are ready to get out into the world and learn in a new way.
“Traveling is a healthy experience, I say
healthy not like for your body but like for your soul,” Hennigan said.
Students who are interested in learning
more about the Study Abroad program should check out the Study Abroad Office’s
website: http://www.studyabroad.txstate.edu.
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