Texas State Students Seek Accessibility to Study Abroad Resources

Texas State Students Seek Accessibility to Study Abroad Resources

By Abby Moore, amm339@txstate.edu

SAN MARCOS, Texas — Texas State offers its students many study abroad trips for a multitude of classes, majors, interests and classifications. Study abroad trips are available year-round for active Texas State students.

Texas State has four main programs for study abroad: faculty-led, affiliated, exchange and non-affiliated. The mission of the Texas State Study Abroad Office is to “provide safe, accessible, academically rigorous, geographically diverse, and culturally enriching global educational experiences to our students.”

Many students agree that study abroad programs have the potential to enlighten their college experience and enhance their knowledge. Students seemed eager to participate in study abroad and believed there were many benefits in participating.

Sara Peebus
Photo by Anthony Flores

Sara Peebus, a photography major at Texas State, believes that study abroad programs allow students to interact and experience other cultures in an expansive way.

"Just experiencing the way people interact in different cultures. The Sapir–Whorf hypothesis says you can't learn things outside of your own language and your own culture, so not only do you learn new cultural things but you can expand how much you can learn about your own," said Peebus.

According to an article by the NASFA, international educators believe study abroad programs can enhance global awareness, personal growth, leadership and career experience.

Jessica Heely
Photo by Anthony Flores

Student Jessica Heely, 18, thinks that study abroad programs can be beneficial because they could provide a deeper appreciation for others in general.

"Deeper appreciation for just people in general, then when you hear stuff on the news it's not so out there, you feel connected to it," said Heely.

According to an article by the Princeton Review, experiential learning could launch your career after college. Experiential learning is about applying the concepts you learn in college to real situations such that you are learning by doing.

Jaswanath Pattipati
Photo by Jhazmine Billups 

Graduate student Jaswanath Pattipati, 23, also believes these programs can be beneficial for employment, because students can gain insight on what is happening outside of the country in their specific job field.

"Students get experience in different fields. The internship or the experience makes people more confident and students gain knowledge on what's happening outside the country or outside of the field they chose," said Pattipati.

However, many Texas State students said they had not participated in a study abroad trip or internship. Unfortunately, many students had vague ideas about Texas State Study Abroad programs and were not aware of the resources or opportunities available.

Quinton Carter
Photo by Ashley Brown 

Student Quinton Carter is aware of study abroad events, such as the Study Abroad Fair, however the event seems to present an time inconvenience.

"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 Carter.

Alma Cavazos
Photo by Ashley Brown 

Alma Cavazos, Texas State student, said she believes many students cannot study abroad due to finances, even though there are many resources available.

"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 Cavazos.

Dr. Steven Bebe
Photo by Ammon and Co.

Dean and Communication Professor Dr. Steven Bebe agrees that there should be better communication tactics and advising in regards to informing students about Study Abroad programs.

"These programs should be more accessible to students through better advising. I teach communications and one of the things I teach is that information is not communication," said Bebe.

As mentioned previously, there is a Study Abroad Fair, Oct. 26 from 10a.m. - 2p.m. in the LBJSC Ballroom. There will be representatives from different programs offering information and answering questions about studying, researching, working or teaching abroad. Additionally, if you are interested in any financial assistance programs for studying abroad, please visit Texas State Study Abroad’s financial assistance website.