Allison Beaufort (left), one of 380 UW students to study abroad last year, learns to cook bread during her time in Zanzibar in September.
The world seems to be slowly getting smaller. The University of Wyoming is doing its part to make sure it shrinks just a little more each year by sending students to a variety of places around the world.
Erin Ma, a senior in the molecular biology program at UW, said she would definitely recommend spending time abroad to other students. “Everyone needs to do something that places them outside their comfort zone,” she said.
Ruth Shephard, international exchange and study abroad coordinator, said 380 UW students traveled abroad last year. They spent anywhere from two weeks to a full year in countries such as Spain, Australia, France and Israel.
With the turmoil in Israel in recent months, the safety of students is a concern.
“I can’t guarantee the safety of students in Israel anymore than I can guarantee their safety down at Four Corners in Denver or outside the Buckhorn Bar here in Laramie,” Shepherd said.
Places like Israel know that they are teetering on the edge and have a contingency plan to ensure the safety of all students, not only the international students, Shepard said.
Ma has been abroad twice. Her first trip was to Peru where she shadowed a doctor for a month. “It was really eye opening,” she said. She expected that their medical care would be somehow different than what people get in the United States, but with the exception of a few small differences, their care was surprisingly similar.
She recommends that students thinking about going abroad take a couple semesters of the language before they travel.
“I was sometimes confused about what was being said,” Ma said, but since she spoke a little bit of Spanish before she left, it was not too hard to follow what was being talked about.
Ma also spent last semester in Australia.
“I met people from all over the world. It was really interesting to see their perspective on things,” she said.
Paying for the opportunity to experience another culture may be a concern for many students. There are a number of scholarships available for students interested in spending time overseas.
“I spent a lot of time writing papers about what I wanted to do and why I wanted to do it,” Ma said.
The study abroad program was something Ma sought out because she knew it was an experience that she wanted to be a part of. The study abroad program makes it easy for anyone interested in finding out more. They can visit the website, like them on Facebook, or stop by the office on the first floor of the Cheney Building.
