Notre Dame Global hosted a series of events this week for students to learn more about the over 30 summer and 50 semester and academic year abroad programs the University offers as they discern when and if they want to study abroad.
Highlights of the week included a “Myths, Tips, & Tricks” session held in DeBartolo Hall, networking opportunities for students to meet peers who had previously studied abroad and an information session titled “Funding Study Abroad” held in partnership with the Office of Financial Aid, the Transformational Leaders Program and the Office of Student Enrichment.
Study abroad director Robert Leis discussed the importance of Study Abroad Week for Notre Dame students.
“[The week] is a really important time for us to be able to get out there and help students understand all the programs that are being offered so that they can get information about academics, information about locations, safety and security and health concerns to make sure that students are prepared,” Leis said.
“Almost 88% of Notre Dame students study abroad as undergraduates. With the last Open Doors Report, we were third in the nation for undergraduate student participation. So, for us, part of it is just making sure that students have all the information or as much information as possible to make a good decision,” Leis said.
He also shared his expectations of what his team hopes students took away from the week.
“We know that we want them to have greater cultural engagement. We know that we want them to be able to progress towards graduation on time so that they're getting the academics that they need as well,” Leis said. “I want them to have the opportunity to go abroad and sort of stand in that space ... where they're outside of their comfort zone, they're outside of their own culture, they're outside of that area of familiarity. So, as they navigate those challenges, as they're confronted with things they're unfamiliar with, they also gain the strength and resiliency to ... know they can do hard things,” Leis said.
He also discussed how Notre Dame global partners from London, Santiago, Hong Kong and Rome came to campus throughout the week to meet with students and share information about new programming and research offerings at their sites.
Leis emphasized that students should understand going into the application process that certain programs such as those in London, Rome, Ireland and Athens receive more applications than space allows for. He said that when they decide which programs they will apply for, with the maximum of two program applications per student, they shouldn’t select two competitive locations and rather choose a less competitive program that they’re still excited about for their second choice.
“I'm very impressed by the student body, which has such an appetite for this,” Leis said. “I would love, as time goes on, [for] students to start exploring the world outside of maybe some of the more hotspot destinations. I think that we can see great growth when ... students embrace the possibility of discomfort, when they choose locations that are perhaps more unfamiliar or more outside of the areas that they've researched or maybe been to on a vacation or that kind of thing. I think this is a good time for students to sort of push themselves a little bit further and experience something different,” Leis said.
Senior Grace Leeson did a semester abroad in Puebla, Mexico for students on the pre-med track. Leeson, who is applying to medical school, discussed her time living with her host family and taking classes in Puebla.
“We only spoke Spanish at home, and then I attended a Mexican university called UPAEP [Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla], and there I took classes that were in Spanish with ... Mexican students and Mexican professors. So it was a very immersive experience,” Leeson said. “Living with the host family, you really got to learn about the culture through the food. Also, I just love my host mom. She was fantastic and really welcoming. And then I also really loved my experience at school. I was able to make a lot of local friends.”
Leeson shared that her grandmother is Cuban, and because of her heritage, learning Spanish has been a lifelong goal for her. She now hopes to use her Spanish skills as a physician, serving Spanish-speaking patients back home in Texas.
Leticia Cavadas, a sophomore studying mechanical engineering from Brazil, described her experience studying abroad in Berlin last summer.
“I was able to experience history museums, art museums and even industry museums, as well as trying traditional German and Bavarian food,” Cavadas said. “Academically, being in Berlin allowed me to see the many vehicle manufacturers in Germany, such as Volkswagen and BMW, which to me was extremely interesting, and I had the privilege to study European history exactly where it happened.”
