Where in the world are C.U. students?

By: Ashley Roshon

Posted: 2/25/10

Plenty of students leave the home for dorm life, but nothing declares independence quite as much as leaving the country.

Ellie Crawford, junior, traveled to the London College of Communications.

"I wanted something completely different from what I had experienced before. London is a city of 7 million people and I live in Indianapolis, which is very similar to Columbus."

Ken Roshong, study abroad advisor, said that the most popular countries are within Europe.

Nonetheless, some students have instead chosen places such as Thailand, Morocco, and Dubai. According to Roshong, most study abroad programs are taught in English.

In terms of finances, study abroad is a realistic option, considering that financial aid and scholarships can cover most of the tuition.

According to Zach Westhoven, a sophomore who is currently studying in London, his expenses toward tuition is less than it would be at Capital. He attends Regent's College. Capital scholarships cannot go toward room and board or travel expenses.

Roshong cites the tuition benefits as the reason for the steady number of study abroad Capital students. The number of students in non-Capital sponsored programs varies from 10 to 15. For the Capital programs, like Hungary and Sweden, and some of the short programs to Mexico or Costa Rica, the number hovers around 30.

Not only are there financial benefits, but the concept of homework abroad differs from the United States.

Danielle Hinckley, a junior who is currently studying in Ireland at the University of Limerick, has one or two main lectures per week with 100-300 students (tutorials are taught throughout the week in groups of 20-30).

"There isn't really a concept of homework. Grades are based on the final exam and 1-2 papers," Hinckley said.

In Ireland college is free, and students go just because they can, Hinckley said. This causes some Irish students to disregard classes more frequently, she added. She finds that there are more American students in class than Irish students.

While not in class, foreign countries offer the benefit of extensive exploration.

"The people here [London] are different from Americans; they don't talk to strangers and they have no idea how to make small talk," Westhoven said.

When studying in Europe, the convenience of traveling is appealing. Josh Amstutz, a junior studying in Florence, Italy took time to visit Pompeii.

"Pompeii was more preserved than I ever thought. There were mosaics on the floors and frescos on the walls that were literally over 2000 years old," Amstutz said.

But, to visit these relics, it takes time and organization. Roshong advises students to give the study abroad office a call to organize a meeting with him or Jennifer Adams in either February or September, depending on the semester.

Roshong advises non-Capital study abroad, while Adams heads Capital programs such as the nursing program in Sweden and the music conservatory program in Hungary.

"For some students it's the only meeting, because they can go out and get the whole process done by themselves. That's the goal. We try to give them enough information so that they can go and find the program that makes sense for them and fits them the most," Roshong said.

Necessary forms are given to students, and they must get their course choices pre-approved by their adviser. Students must apply to their preferred program independently.

Finally, students must make four stops: to their adviser, the finance office, financial aid office, and obtain an approved signature from student affairs.

The Study Abroad Fair during the first Monday in October offers students a chance to meet with representatives from a couple dozen programs.

"It was the most stressful thing that I've done, because there's so much paperwork and calling different people. It just seemed to take forever to get it to all work. Stick with it, because once it works, it's amazing and it's the best thing I've ever done," Crawford said.

By Ashley Roshon
Editorial staff
aroshon@capital.edu