Study Abroad Concerns

Allison Johnson

a_j153@txstate.edu

Texas State students express concerns with Study Abroad

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Study Abroad Office is reaching out to students to participate in study abroad programs in 2018. Some Texas State students are interested in the program, but are concerned that a lack of resources is preventing them from participating.

Many students say that financial aid, informational meetings, and timing of the study abroad programs are the reasons for not participating.

Students are finding it difficult to find time to attend informational meetings. Just recently, there was a study abroad fair and some students could not make it to the fair.

"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,” said Quinton Carter.  

Quinton Carter

Photo by: Ashley Brown

There are some students that are aware of funding to make the program cost-effective. Unfortunately, some are not able to collect more information on how to implement those helpful tools to decrease the cost to study abroad.

"A lot of people are not able to travel due to finances. However, I do know there are a lot of scholarships students can earn to study abroad. There are even outside companies and schools that offer scholarships,” said Alma Cavazos.

Alma Cavazos

Photo by: Ashley Brown

Her Campus gave some tips on how to acquire study abroad scholarships. Students can utilize these sources to apply for scholarships.

Many students understand the benefits to studying outside the classroom, but don’t want to travel too far. This keeps students studying in the U.S. or close to home.

“I studied in America. I did a national exchange program within the U.S. I did it in New York at Queens College just last year. Then, I had an internship there at Half Yard Productions. Now I have an internship at the Texas Film Commission in Austin,” said Malcom Thomas.

 Malcom Davis

Photo by: Ashley Brown

A Texas State professor mentioned that committing to traveling in the summer could be an issue.

“Bringing the cost down would help a lot of students for sure. Also, the summer is a hard time for a lot of students to commit to a trip like that, so maybe it would help to offer more programs during the spring and fall semesters,” said Joseph Kortarba.

Joseph Kortarba

Photo by: Tyler Fontaine

There is a variety of study abroad programs. Students can choose the option of an international exchange program if they wish to study in the fall or spring.

Students need a variety of information to see if they can commit to a study abroad program. A science major was concerned if studying abroad would have a program for her.

“Probably because being a science major, it is really hard to find programs that will transfer and not push you back a semester,” said Evelynn Shanks.

Evelynn Shanks

Photo by: Tyler Fontaine

A lack of information was the main reason why students said they have not studied abroad yet. Ultimately, students said they need better ways of getting the information to them, so all their questions are answered.

“The information should be more accessible to students. It would be helpful if someone brought handouts to a class or something like that to get the information out there more. Also just marketing it better to students in general would help attract more attention to the program,” said Hannah Chetwood.

Hannah Chetwood

Photo by: Tyler Fontaine

There will be more informational sessions held throughout the semester at Thorton International House.