At Kirkwood Community College, students of all majors have the ability to immerse themselves in many cultural learning opportunities through studying abroad.
Kirkwood offers a wide variety of programs, including spring and summer options, as well as semester-long trips.
“I went abroad to South Korea a couple of years ago, I was like, this is amazing,” said Tia Slippy, study abroad advisor in Global Learning.
“Everyone should get a chance to go about it if they can. When you go to another country, and you experience another culture, you start to see things from a bigger perspective”
There are 16 study abroad programs offered at Kirkwood. Each short-term program usually contains 10 to 15 students; however, this number can vary depending on the chosen program.
Slippy said students can apply for a program of their choice by going to the website kirkwood.studioabroad.com.
By applying, students would need to write a short 300- to 500-word essay on why they want to study abroad.
They would additionally need two recommendation letters, with one, preferably two from Kirkwood faculty, and then lastly signing a deposit agreement of $500. The deposit will be returned if a student is not chosen for a program, or if the student ends up changing their mind before deadline.
Slippy added that when students do officially sign up, they are eligible for multiple study abroad scholarships, including the Global Advantage Scholarship. A student can be awarded $1,000 by Kirkwood through meeting the requirements of completing any of the study abroad applications, as well as having a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher.
Slippy believes the Gillman scholarship is extremely important for study abroad options. It is worth $5,000 this semester.
The deadline to apply is Oct. 3. For students who are committed to one of many programs next year, this, alongside the numerous other scholarship options, can drastically decrease a student’s out-of-pocket expense.
“We have a program for basically any major that you’re in, and you can really apply to any of them, regardless of what you’re studying, and they all count as college credit,” said Slippy.
“There’s just something about spending time with people who are different than you that really helps you understand people from their perspectives.”
For students interesting in learning more about the study abroad program, the Global Learning lounge is located on the second floor of Iowa Hall and is open for any and all questions.
The next Study Abroad application help session will be Nov. 19 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on the second floor of Iowa Hall.
Categories: Local News, News
