To study and learn in a different part of the world is one of the most exciting opportunities a college student is afforded. For many Kenyon students in particular, it is one of the most deeply rewarding, life changing experiences they have in their four years of college. With over 150 different programs in over 50 countries to choose from, it can be a little intimidating and overwhelming trying to decide what’s right for you.
Read on to learn about some of these students’ experiences and what made them memorable, significant and all around incredible:
1.) Marge Tucker: DIS (The Danish Institute for Study Abroad), Copenhagen, Denmark“This is the perfect program for the American student who wants the full European study abroad experience while having a home in one of the coolest and most under appreciated cities in the world. The people who work at DIS know exactly what students wants, and that is what they give them! There are 3 week-long travel breaks, multiple class trips, and endless resources and information for the time you spend in Denmark. With over 1,000 students on the program there are lots of friends to be made and tons of friends to travel with! It’s such a good program and Copenhagen is the most unique, livable city. Not to mention, Denmark is the happiest country in the world according to the World Happiness Report!”
2.) Laura Boniface: University College Dublin through Arcadia University, Dublin, Ireland“About it being amazing…honestly I think the people are the best part. I lived with Irish students and loved them all. Then, when you go into the city, the taxi driver wants to know all about you and how you like Ireland and where you should visit—then you go to a pub and you get all the same genuine interest. Everyone I met was amazingly friendly and helpful. You also can’t beat the music and pub culture and I didn’t even mention the countryside! I could go on for hours!”
3.) Hayley Howard: SIT: Rainforest, Reef, and Cultural Ecology, Cairns, Australia“It was a field-based biology program which basically means we went on a lot of nature hikes and snorkeled and learned about the ecosystems while we were immersed in them. We also went camping for a week (no showers or bathrooms) and I did a two-week homestay. At the end of the semester we got to do what they call an Independent Study Project (ISP) where we could contact any scientist in the country that was looking at something we are interested in and go work with them for a month. My idea of going abroad was that I wanted something completely different from Kenyon, which is exactly what I got from this program. I didn’t stay in a dorm or go to regular class, but instead got to hike and snorkel in Australia for three months.”
4.) Norie Knipp: CET Intensive Language Program, Beijing, China.“The structure and intensity of the classes allowed my language skills to skyrocket, and the teachers were so dedicated to our learning and so invested in our success. It was ideal for me because it forced me to speak only Chinese for the semester and challenge myself to express complex thoughts and ideas in a foreign tongue. I am a girl who loves to ask big questions and talk to others about life, and CET let me learn how to do that in another language. As for Beijing specifically, the superb metro system made it so easy to get around. Having never lived in the center of a giant city, I loved being able to hop on the subway and go anywhere I wanted, which often were the many temples of the city.”
5.) Rina Petek: Alliance for Global Education, Manipal, India.“The experience was amazing because we could study public health in a part of the world where it is a very relevant issue that is a central part of people’s everyday lives. It was also amazing to experience a completely different culture from our own.”
6.) Meredith Bentsen: IFSA-Butler: University of Edinburgh in Edinburgh, Scotland“I loved the program because it allowed me to study and live in one of the most gorgeous cities I have every seen. I was able to enrich myself in Scottish culture through the warmth of the country’s people, and got to travel throughout the United Kingdom and Europe with the ease of Edinburgh’s location. On top of it all, the IFSA-Butler staff are incredible. They obviously let you be independent, but are always there to guide and help you if anything is needed, such as getting the flu or homesickness. If I could, I would do it all again.”
7.) Olivia Stonehouse: The School For Field Studies Wildlife Management and Conservation, Southern Kenya and Northern Tanzania.“I wish I could easily describe how unbelievable the program was- from waking up every day in Kenya greeted by Mt Kilimanjaro to endless hours in safari cars observing lions, giraffes, elephants and more to playing soccer with the staff (who were a million times better than us) to playing guitar while roasting bananas at night. East Africa is a part of the world few get to experience in such a raw, real way that I feel honored to have had the privilege of living, learning, and loving both the location and the people who live there. It taught me a lot about what it means to be a global citizen- one of my professors said something on our first day that I think is one of the biggest lessons we learned while abroad: “You were born in America, but you were not born for America. You were born for the world.”