Students get their lessons overseas
Each year more students are taking their studies abroad.
About 11 percent of students study abroad, and year after year the rate has increased steadily, said Dianne De Salvo, director of Study Abroad.
"If students want to figure out the world, studying abroad is how to do it," De Salvo said.
There are different sessions. Short-term faculty-led study abroad is typically a two to four-week program led by a CMU professor for a specific course. Other options include fall and spring semesters, academic year programs and programs during spring break and summer.
Studying abroad can be affordable. The tuition exchange program permits students to pay CMU tuition and enroll in courses at a foreign university at no additional charge.
Students also may apply for scholarships and speak with a financial aid adviser. At the Study Abroad Web site, studyabroad.cmich.edu, students can find scholarship information.
CMU requires students have a 2.5 cumulative GPA and a 2.5 GPA in the previous two semesters in order to study abroad; other requirements may apply for different programs.
De Salvo said that by studying abroad, students are able to gain more than just travel experience.
"It really helps students gain perspective, personal development, and oftentimes students end up studying abroad more than once," De Salvo said.
Riverview senior Michelle Aldridge is studying abroad this spring for the fourth time.
Aldridge has study abroad in Mexico, Spain and Japan and will add Argentina to the list this spring.
"I decided to study abroad because I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and experience life in another country," Aldridge said.
Aldridge is studying Spanish and Integrative Public Relations and studied abroad for the first time in the summer after her freshman year.
"I never saw myself studying abroad, but it completely changed my life. You get to meet so many new people and learn more about yourself," Aldridge said.
Aldridge said there are ways to make it affordable, and applied for as many scholarships as possible.
Grosse Pointe Farms junior Kristen Cole studied abroad at the University of Limerick in Ireland in spring 2008.
"I was the only CMU student who went there that semester, so I definitely gained some independence. I interacted with people of all nationalities and learned how to be the minority," Cole said.
Cole is hoping to participate in the student teaching study abroad program in Africa.
"It's worth any cost, time, effort, and won't make you lose any time to graduate. Even the short-term program will still provide the amazing experience," Cole said.
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