Student advocates for studying abroad

Before starting college one of my goals was to travel abroad for any length of time. I didn’t really care where I went, just that I wanted to do it. It seemed incredibly unrealistic and farfetched since at the time COVID was running rampant and all countries had travel bans. In most of my general education courses the professors brought up studying abroad and the opportunity to go to Germany and Austria. 

I remember leaving an informational session on the trip and immediately calling my mom and dad saying that I was going to go. It was such a good deal and wasn’t an entire semester, which was exactly what I was looking for. I ended up going on that trip over Spring Break 2024. 

This was a three-credit course called German Politics and Culture; it was a bit fast-paced at times but had to be if we were going to fit everything in before the first group left. There were a couple of things that I was super anxious about before leaving. The first being that I was going with 14 strangers whom I had never met before to another country for 12 days. The second was that the last time I traveled on a plane was in my 8th grade class trip to Washington D.C. and on top of that I had never been out of the country. 

Finally and most importantly I am extremely afraid of heights. Before leaving for the trip I felt incredibly underpacked (even though my suitcase weighed the most out of everyone) and unsure if I had everything I needed. The study abroad office had provided us with a list of what to pack and I had all of the things we needed for the airport, customs, and train travel. 

Our group's leaders, Kayla Klanderman and Ogden Rogers, did an amazing job of keeping everyone on task and prepared for the days to come. We first arrived in Vienna, Austria where we took a walking tour, visited a cathedral, took a tour of Parliament and the United Nations, and visited the Sisi Museum and Museum of Military History, an opera, and the Imperial Palace all within three days.

Though exhausting, our schedule had around three to four things to do to make the most out of our time. One of the most interesting parts of this study abroad course was the chance to have three of our own travel days. We had to book our own hostels, transportation, and events by ourselves. I think that this gives students the opportunity to relax and prepares them for potentially traveling by themselves.

For my independent travel days, I went to Salzburg Austria where I visited Mozart’s birthplace and home, another cathedral, Hohensalzburg Fortress, the zoo, the salt mines, a skylift, and the imperial castle. Next on our trip was Munich, Germany, where we did a walking tour, ate at Hofbrauhaus, and visited the former Nazi party grounds.

We took a day trip to Nuremberg to visit a large street market and a castle. Our final stop was Berlin, Germany where we did our final walking tour, and visited the German parliament, a democracy museum, and the world-renowned chocolate shop called Rausch. On our final day, we visited the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. 

The trip had an amazing balance between fun cultural events and more serious historical memorials and information. Studying abroad is something that all hands-on learners should do. What's more hands-on than living what you're learning about? The study abroad office has programs for all students, at any grade level, and any price point, no matter how long or short you would like to be away. I think that every student should try and broaden their worldview and take that leap to make meaningful connections and memories that will last a lifetime.