Study Abroad: Different strokes for different folks
Emily Zulz /Staff Reporter
Issue date: 9/28/07 Section: News
England - Summer: Unique opportunity to study History
Over the summer, Michelle Lashley, a history graduate student, stayed in a castle in England.
She was part of the summer program at Harlaxton College that lasted over five weeks.
Lashley wanted to go to experience studying abroad.
The trip to Harlaxton College was a faculty-led program. The faculty-led program shares representation with partner programs in Eastern's study abroad office.
An Eastern faculty member had accompanied students and taught classes in England, Lashley said.
When students were not in class, they were able to take tours to different locations.
"We would talk about the Industrial Revolution and then we would go to a town that was really big in the Industrial Revolution so it was a really good mix of history and actuality," Lashley said. "You normally don't get that if you stay here on campus very often."
She said being in England and interacting with the community members there was phenomenal.
Lashley said it was great experience for her as a historian because she got to work with primary documents that she doesn't have access to in the United States.
This summer's trip to England was not Lashley's first time abroad.
"This was I think my fifth or sixth time overseas," she said.
Lashley said one can never go too many times because it is always a different experience. Each time, she went somewhere different and experienced a different culture.
Lashley said traveling abroad made her realize who she was.
"It allows me to evaluate where I am in my life. By experiencing certain things you become more aware of who you are and you add things to your personality," she said.
South Africa - Fall: Confidence and Experience
There was a time when Alana Toolie would never have eaten a meal by herself, let alone go to a foreign country on her own.
That all changed when she decided to study abroad at the University of Cape Town in Cape Town, South Africa.
Toolie, a senior accounting major, transferred to Eastern from Dillard University in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina struck.
She said this experience made her first semester at Eastern horrible.
"I was probably gonna die if I didn't get away from EIU," she said.
Studying abroad was her way of running away. "It was almost like a breather and when I got back, it was much better," Toolie said.
The deadline for fall semester study abroad applications was March, and Toolie did not decide she wanted to study abroad until January that year.
Because of her late decision, Toolie said she had to do some hustling and go on a strict financial budget because she only had a few months to plan.
Toolie left in the fall of 2006 and lived in South Africa for five months.
"I did not get homesick one time surprisingly," she said.
It was without a doubt the best five months of her life. Cape Town was unbelievable, even before she got off the plane, she said.
"Well, you're on the plane and then going into the Cape Town airport is the coastal line because it's right off the ocean and I looked out the window and I said 'I love this place' and I hadn't even gotten off the plane yet," Toolie said.
While in Cape Town, she had an opportunity to hear Archbishop Desmond Tutu speak.
One would think because he is older he would be stiff, she said. "He actually had an amazing sense of humor.
"He'll say something in, like one of the native languages, and then you see all the African students behind you laughing and laughing, and so you turn around and you - being an American - you start laughing because everyone else is laughing, even though you have no idea what he said."
She said she gained a new level of confidence and independence from studying abroad.
"I don't know, it might be cliché but people say that you go abroad and you come back a different person, but you literally do," Toolie said.
She now wants to see everything. "I want to see especially places with these preconceived ideas like Africa," Toolie said. "People have so many preconceived ideas about Africa and I just want to see especially those places just to dispel all of them, just to see them for myself."
Toolie's new outlook on life and the world is not all studying abroad gave her.
"My résumé is unbelievable and I emphasize that because my GPA is not as strong as I would like for it to be so I emphasize my study abroad experience and employers love it," Toolie said.
Over spring break last year, Toolie was able to add more experience to her resume. She studied abroad in Guatemala for 10 days.
Toolie said her ability to study abroad for both trips had nothing to do with the amount of money she had. Toolie is originally form inner city Chicago, and though her mother doesn't have a college education, that didn't stop Toolie from studying abroad.
"It just has to do with a strong desire to want to go," Toolie said. "And that's all you need."
Australia - Spring: Excitement and Adventure
Justin Lopez's study abroad experience in Rockhampton, Australia was beyond words.
"It was exciting. It inspired me," he said.
The senior recreation administration major went to Central Queensland University in the Spring of 2006 and was there for five months.
Lopez said he went because he thought it would be a good experience.
"I thought it would help teach me things about the world I didn't know," he said.
Lopez said he also wanted to show both himself and others around him he could do it.
Lopez had traveled outside of the United States previously to Mexico, Jamaica and Canada.
"I was very nervous," he said. "It was nervous excitement. I kind of like that feeling actually."
To go abroad, Lopez said he had to fill out some paperwork, get a passport and a visa.
Lopez said his fondest memory of the trip was scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef.
"It's so quiet all you can hear is your breathing and it's just like your surrounded by all this natural beauty," he said.
It is something he said he could never forget.
Experiences like these are possible for everyone, Lopez said.
"There really are no good excuses not to do it (study abroad)," he said. "It can only help you, it can't hurt you."
He said no one should feel limited and think it is not possible for him or her to study abroad because it is.
Lopez joked that he took shells in a bag from his experience in Australia but it was more than that.
"It helps your psyche. It helps your development. It helps your soul," he said.
FACT BOXE:
Qualifications to study abroad:
Be in good academic standing with the university (GPA of 2.5 or better).
Be in good judicial standing with the university.
Have studied at least one semester at Eastern.
According Farhan Aziz, Study Abroad Coordinator at Eastern:
Approximately 250 students studied abroad in the 2005-2006 academic year.
Approximately 300 students studied abroad in the 2006-2007 academic year.
Cost breakdown of studying abroad (airfare, immunizations, passport, insurance, etc.) can be found at the Study Abroad website.
Over the summer, Michelle Lashley, a history graduate student, stayed in a castle in England.
She was part of the summer program at Harlaxton College that lasted over five weeks.
Lashley wanted to go to experience studying abroad.
The trip to Harlaxton College was a faculty-led program. The faculty-led program shares representation with partner programs in Eastern's study abroad office.
An Eastern faculty member had accompanied students and taught classes in England, Lashley said.
When students were not in class, they were able to take tours to different locations.
"We would talk about the Industrial Revolution and then we would go to a town that was really big in the Industrial Revolution so it was a really good mix of history and actuality," Lashley said. "You normally don't get that if you stay here on campus very often."
She said being in England and interacting with the community members there was phenomenal.
Lashley said it was great experience for her as a historian because she got to work with primary documents that she doesn't have access to in the United States.
This summer's trip to England was not Lashley's first time abroad.
"This was I think my fifth or sixth time overseas," she said.
Lashley said one can never go too many times because it is always a different experience. Each time, she went somewhere different and experienced a different culture.
Lashley said traveling abroad made her realize who she was.
"It allows me to evaluate where I am in my life. By experiencing certain things you become more aware of who you are and you add things to your personality," she said.
South Africa - Fall: Confidence and Experience
There was a time when Alana Toolie would never have eaten a meal by herself, let alone go to a foreign country on her own.
That all changed when she decided to study abroad at the University of Cape Town in Cape Town, South Africa.
Toolie, a senior accounting major, transferred to Eastern from Dillard University in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina struck.
She said this experience made her first semester at Eastern horrible.
"I was probably gonna die if I didn't get away from EIU," she said.
Studying abroad was her way of running away. "It was almost like a breather and when I got back, it was much better," Toolie said.
The deadline for fall semester study abroad applications was March, and Toolie did not decide she wanted to study abroad until January that year.
Because of her late decision, Toolie said she had to do some hustling and go on a strict financial budget because she only had a few months to plan.
Toolie left in the fall of 2006 and lived in South Africa for five months.
"I did not get homesick one time surprisingly," she said.
It was without a doubt the best five months of her life. Cape Town was unbelievable, even before she got off the plane, she said.
"Well, you're on the plane and then going into the Cape Town airport is the coastal line because it's right off the ocean and I looked out the window and I said 'I love this place' and I hadn't even gotten off the plane yet," Toolie said.
While in Cape Town, she had an opportunity to hear Archbishop Desmond Tutu speak.
One would think because he is older he would be stiff, she said. "He actually had an amazing sense of humor.
"He'll say something in, like one of the native languages, and then you see all the African students behind you laughing and laughing, and so you turn around and you - being an American - you start laughing because everyone else is laughing, even though you have no idea what he said."
She said she gained a new level of confidence and independence from studying abroad.
"I don't know, it might be cliché but people say that you go abroad and you come back a different person, but you literally do," Toolie said.
She now wants to see everything. "I want to see especially places with these preconceived ideas like Africa," Toolie said. "People have so many preconceived ideas about Africa and I just want to see especially those places just to dispel all of them, just to see them for myself."
Toolie's new outlook on life and the world is not all studying abroad gave her.
"My résumé is unbelievable and I emphasize that because my GPA is not as strong as I would like for it to be so I emphasize my study abroad experience and employers love it," Toolie said.
Over spring break last year, Toolie was able to add more experience to her resume. She studied abroad in Guatemala for 10 days.
Toolie said her ability to study abroad for both trips had nothing to do with the amount of money she had. Toolie is originally form inner city Chicago, and though her mother doesn't have a college education, that didn't stop Toolie from studying abroad.
"It just has to do with a strong desire to want to go," Toolie said. "And that's all you need."
Australia - Spring: Excitement and Adventure
Justin Lopez's study abroad experience in Rockhampton, Australia was beyond words.
"It was exciting. It inspired me," he said.
The senior recreation administration major went to Central Queensland University in the Spring of 2006 and was there for five months.
Lopez said he went because he thought it would be a good experience.
"I thought it would help teach me things about the world I didn't know," he said.
Lopez said he also wanted to show both himself and others around him he could do it.
Lopez had traveled outside of the United States previously to Mexico, Jamaica and Canada.
"I was very nervous," he said. "It was nervous excitement. I kind of like that feeling actually."
To go abroad, Lopez said he had to fill out some paperwork, get a passport and a visa.
Lopez said his fondest memory of the trip was scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef.
"It's so quiet all you can hear is your breathing and it's just like your surrounded by all this natural beauty," he said.
It is something he said he could never forget.
Experiences like these are possible for everyone, Lopez said.
"There really are no good excuses not to do it (study abroad)," he said. "It can only help you, it can't hurt you."
He said no one should feel limited and think it is not possible for him or her to study abroad because it is.
Lopez joked that he took shells in a bag from his experience in Australia but it was more than that.
"It helps your psyche. It helps your development. It helps your soul," he said.
FACT BOXE:
Qualifications to study abroad:
Be in good academic standing with the university (GPA of 2.5 or better).
Be in good judicial standing with the university.
Have studied at least one semester at Eastern.
According Farhan Aziz, Study Abroad Coordinator at Eastern:
Approximately 250 students studied abroad in the 2005-2006 academic year.
Approximately 300 students studied abroad in the 2006-2007 academic year.
Cost breakdown of studying abroad (airfare, immunizations, passport, insurance, etc.) can be found at the Study Abroad website.
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