Study abroad opportunities await
By Luisa Wiewgorra
[email protected]
“To go and see the world is an experience that you will never forget,” said Kelly Marks, Professor for Social Work and Criminal Justice, and BSW Program Director.
All of the short-term study abroad programs will start in mid-May 2020 and last up to three weeks. This year, these programs are very European focused except for the Philippines.
“If you have the chance to study abroad and see the world while you're in college, you should take it. It is an opportunity to expand your horizon and travel while you are young,” said Jillian Law, an English and Journalism major.
The shortest program is the trip to Paris, which will last around seven days and is organized by EF. This trip will not only include the Eiffel Tower but also Notre-Dame Cathedral, Louvre, and Versailles. The trip to the Philippines is the longest short-term program at 2.5 weeks.
“I have always been interested in traveling and was looking at the Philippines trip. In this program, I can take what I learn in my nursing courses and apply it to real-life and I will be able to help people,” said Jensen Drewyor, a Nursing major.
Marks is one of the faculty leaders for the trip to Malta, one of the short-term programs that are offered. She enjoys being a faculty leader because she gets to meet and socialize with students that she would not necessarily meet in the classroom.
“Honestly, as a student, I never studied abroad and I look back on it like it is kind of a bummer. It is a great opportunity if you have never left the country before and to leave the country at a cheaper rate and in a safe environment,” said Marks.
The itinerary of the 9-day Malta trip includes visiting temples, the residence of the president, and Gozo Island. “We hope that we can do a day-trip to Rome to see Vatican City. There are also three islands, so there are a lot of places to visit, especially by ferry, but to travel by plane is very cheap over there,” said Marks.
Besides, Madonna offers a trip to the Netherlands and Belgium, which contains visiting the cities of Amsterdam, Maastrict, and Brussels. As the trip to Costa Rica got canceled, students can still sign up for the Italy-Greece program to visit Florence, Rome, Delphi, and Athens for 10 days.
“You get to meet new people, experience a different culture and learn about your own because when you go to places people ask you questions. People ask what it is like to be an American, so you kind of learn a little bit about yourself,” said Beth Hoffman, a faculty trip leader to Ireland and Instructional Technology Support Specialist at Madonna.
“For the first days, we walked around Dublin with guided tours and then we drove by bus around the country. One highlight was seeing the library at Trinity College that was used as an inspiration for Harry Potter,” said Hoffman.
Even though these programs focus on certain majors, any students can join and study abroad. There are major courses as well as general education courses that can be taken in the winter semester to go along with the study abroad programs. If none of the courses matches the student’s schedule, it is possible to sign up for a zero-credit study abroad course.
“Our first student just went to Busan, South Korea, to participate in the semester-long program at Pukyong National University with a full government national scholarship,” said John Magee, Assistant Vice President for Academic Planning and Study Abroad.
All courses at Pukyong National University are taught in English and the payments include the tuition at Madonna and the room and board in South Korea. However, the room and board can be covered with a scholarship.
“I think it would be great for other students to go to another country and experience what I get to experience as an international student here at Madonna,” said Rodrigo Siqueira, a Business major from São José dos Campos, Brazil.
Brand-new is the partnership with St. Mary’s University in Twickenham, United Kingdom, offering one-semester internship opportunities abroad, even after finishing the studies at Madonna. “This gives the students access from London to anywhere in Europe and is really great for students that want to get this international experience,” said Magee.
For any program, Madonna offers scholarships of $750 for around 50 students. “There are also external scholarships because there are different associations as well as government entities that have a whole list of scholarships,” said Magee.
“If students are interested, we can do a customized sit-down to highlight their favorites. Further, we begin helping them with applications and see if we can secure anything. Ultimately, we just try to work very hard to find the best option if a student wants to go abroad,” said Magee.
Contact the Office of Study Abroad at [email protected] or via telephone at 734-432-5669 to get more details as well as information about additional programs. The scholarship application form with all the instructions for the essay can be found here: https://www.madonna.edu/resources/study-abroad/Scholarship.pdf
[email protected]
“To go and see the world is an experience that you will never forget,” said Kelly Marks, Professor for Social Work and Criminal Justice, and BSW Program Director.
All of the short-term study abroad programs will start in mid-May 2020 and last up to three weeks. This year, these programs are very European focused except for the Philippines.
“If you have the chance to study abroad and see the world while you're in college, you should take it. It is an opportunity to expand your horizon and travel while you are young,” said Jillian Law, an English and Journalism major.
The shortest program is the trip to Paris, which will last around seven days and is organized by EF. This trip will not only include the Eiffel Tower but also Notre-Dame Cathedral, Louvre, and Versailles. The trip to the Philippines is the longest short-term program at 2.5 weeks.
“I have always been interested in traveling and was looking at the Philippines trip. In this program, I can take what I learn in my nursing courses and apply it to real-life and I will be able to help people,” said Jensen Drewyor, a Nursing major.
Marks is one of the faculty leaders for the trip to Malta, one of the short-term programs that are offered. She enjoys being a faculty leader because she gets to meet and socialize with students that she would not necessarily meet in the classroom.
“Honestly, as a student, I never studied abroad and I look back on it like it is kind of a bummer. It is a great opportunity if you have never left the country before and to leave the country at a cheaper rate and in a safe environment,” said Marks.
The itinerary of the 9-day Malta trip includes visiting temples, the residence of the president, and Gozo Island. “We hope that we can do a day-trip to Rome to see Vatican City. There are also three islands, so there are a lot of places to visit, especially by ferry, but to travel by plane is very cheap over there,” said Marks.
Besides, Madonna offers a trip to the Netherlands and Belgium, which contains visiting the cities of Amsterdam, Maastrict, and Brussels. As the trip to Costa Rica got canceled, students can still sign up for the Italy-Greece program to visit Florence, Rome, Delphi, and Athens for 10 days.
“You get to meet new people, experience a different culture and learn about your own because when you go to places people ask you questions. People ask what it is like to be an American, so you kind of learn a little bit about yourself,” said Beth Hoffman, a faculty trip leader to Ireland and Instructional Technology Support Specialist at Madonna.
“For the first days, we walked around Dublin with guided tours and then we drove by bus around the country. One highlight was seeing the library at Trinity College that was used as an inspiration for Harry Potter,” said Hoffman.
Even though these programs focus on certain majors, any students can join and study abroad. There are major courses as well as general education courses that can be taken in the winter semester to go along with the study abroad programs. If none of the courses matches the student’s schedule, it is possible to sign up for a zero-credit study abroad course.
“Our first student just went to Busan, South Korea, to participate in the semester-long program at Pukyong National University with a full government national scholarship,” said John Magee, Assistant Vice President for Academic Planning and Study Abroad.
All courses at Pukyong National University are taught in English and the payments include the tuition at Madonna and the room and board in South Korea. However, the room and board can be covered with a scholarship.
“I think it would be great for other students to go to another country and experience what I get to experience as an international student here at Madonna,” said Rodrigo Siqueira, a Business major from São José dos Campos, Brazil.
Brand-new is the partnership with St. Mary’s University in Twickenham, United Kingdom, offering one-semester internship opportunities abroad, even after finishing the studies at Madonna. “This gives the students access from London to anywhere in Europe and is really great for students that want to get this international experience,” said Magee.
For any program, Madonna offers scholarships of $750 for around 50 students. “There are also external scholarships because there are different associations as well as government entities that have a whole list of scholarships,” said Magee.
“If students are interested, we can do a customized sit-down to highlight their favorites. Further, we begin helping them with applications and see if we can secure anything. Ultimately, we just try to work very hard to find the best option if a student wants to go abroad,” said Magee.
Contact the Office of Study Abroad at [email protected] or via telephone at 734-432-5669 to get more details as well as information about additional programs. The scholarship application form with all the instructions for the essay can be found here: https://www.madonna.edu/resources/study-abroad/Scholarship.pdf