Studying Abroad in College

Want to study abroad in college? Penn is the perfect university to do just that!

I knew I wanted to study abroad in college before coming to Penn, and I finally had the chance to fulfill that wish by studying at Queen Mary University of London last semester. I took many interesting courses while abroad, but one of my favorites was a class on the history of Capitalism and Colonialism. Each week, we visited different parts of London that were significant to our class discussions, and I quickly learned how to use the Tube through this course and became comfortable navigating London. Outside of the classroom, my favorite activities included bike riding in Hyde Park, visiting different castles (highly recommend visiting Windsor), and going for Afternoon Tea with some friends. Overall, studying abroad was an enriching opportunity filled with unexpected twists and turns- from getting adjusted to a different educational system, to catching a £5 flight to Lisbon, Portugal on a whim- it was an educational and cultural experience of a lifetime.

If you are undecided on whether you want to study abroad in college, that is normal! Some students worry about falling behind on their required course load or missing social events on campus. If you are worried about falling behind on your course load, I would advise you to inquire with students in your major/desired major who have studied abroad and get their perspective on the pros and cons of doing so. By consulting Penn Abroad, they will find someone in your major to speak with about their abroad experience. If the latter is your concern, there will be the same social events every year, but getting to study abroad is a once-in-a-lifetime experience! 

If you want to go abroad, but you do not want to spend an entire semester away, Penn offers a lot of study abroad opportunities for their students outside of the conventional semester programs. There are Global Seminars, which are semester-long courses with a short-term travel element designed to strengthen your knowledge of concepts discussed in the classroom. Penn also offers GRIP (Global Research & Internship Program), which provides undergraduate students with the chance to intern or do research with a range of organizations and corporations throughout the world for 8 to 12 weeks over the summer. Penn offers so many opportunities abroad, and I highly recommend embarking on an enriching cultural opportunity while in college! 

- Ami I.