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Category Stories: Alumni Reflections

  • How I Managed Being a Student Athlete Abroad

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    How I Managed Being a Student Athlete Abroad

    There is a common misconception that student athletes cannot study abroad. Being a student athlete has been an integral part of shaping my college experience, but I did not want this to inhibit me from going abroad. Being a student athlete did mean that I had some limitations as to which semester I could go…

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  • How Living in a Spanish Speaking World Changed My Identity

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    How Living in a Spanish Speaking World Changed My Identity

    Figuring out who you are in a different language is not an easy task. While it may seem that achieving a certain degree of fluency in a language will facilitate the ability to express yourself as you do in your mother-tongue, studying abroad has shown me it is a process much more complex, challenging, frustrating,…

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  • It’s Possible to Study Abroad if You’re a STEM Major: Just ask me!

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    It’s Possible to Study Abroad if You’re a STEM Major:  Just ask me!

    I declared my computer science major sophomore year. When I was assigned my advisor, she asked about my plans to study abroad, if I had any, since it can be difficult to fit studying abroad into a STEM major’s college experience. I was unsure but kept the thought in the back of my mind throughout…

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  • My Golden Internship: Why I Chose to Intern on the Gold Coast

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    My Golden Internship: Why I Chose to Intern on the Gold Coast

    There is so much pressure to graduate with work experience, yet barely any time. From the very first day of college, my professors have stressed the importance of internships. As a student who is involved in leadership positions in Greek life, the Honors College, and a professional organization, I barely have time to sleep, let…

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  • 4 Reasons to Volunteer During Your Semester Abroad

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    4 Reasons to Volunteer During Your Semester Abroad

    There were many incredible things about my time in Chile, including traveling, my host family, and improving my Spanish, to name a few. However, what might have been the highlight of my semester was the time I spent volunteering. During my semester, I volunteered every Monday for about six hours at an incredible organization called…

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  • 5 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Semester Abroad

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    5 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Semester Abroad

    I had an amazing time with IFSA at the University of Sydney. I returned home with a newfound love of traveling and appreciation of my college at home. I am so grateful I had the opportunity to study abroad, and I learned so much about Sydney and about myself, but towards the end of my…

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  • How I Learned to Love Hating Life in the Big City

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    How I Learned to Love Hating Life in the Big City

    I grew up picturing the big city bright and tall in my mind. It was a dreamscape of endless possibilities and exotic people. I grew up in a small rural town in the middle of nowhere, at the base of a mountain range the size of a small state. In Hailey, there were four stoplights…

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  • Why All Students In Greek Life Should Study Abroad

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    Why All Students In Greek Life Should Study Abroad

    Studying abroad is often the best time of people’s lives, at least I know it was for me! Last February, I traveled to Sydney, Australia to study abroad at the University of New South Wales. While this was one of the most unique and exciting times of my life, I would be lying if I…

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  • Growing Pains

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    Growing Pains

    Growing Pains I can still remember, with absolute clarity, the emotions that surged through my body as the airplane descended through the lush mountains and billowing clouds into the Juan Santamaria International Airport. Joy, excitement, and a hint of anxiety were accompanied by this overwhelming feeling of peace. I had never set foot in Costa…

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  • Making Your Host University a Home: How Women’s Soccer Transformed My Study Abroad Experience

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    Making Your Host University a Home: How Women’s Soccer Transformed My Study Abroad Experience

    As I prepared to go abroad in the fall of 2016, one question continued to worry me about my upcoming studies: how was I going to get involved in a community that I only got to spend half a year with?After all, one of the most significant reasons that had motivated me to study abroad…

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