From the sunny city of San Diego, to the home of the Spartans, and all the way to Scotland, Hannah Leibowitz tells Her Campus about what it was like to spend her last summer as an undergraduate student traveling across Europe.
The human biology major was propelled to set sail “to do a 6-week study abroad program in London with King’s College London” which was then followed with friend-filled ventures to Greece, France, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Italy. The trip concluded with a solo trip to Edinburgh, Scotland.
“With the pandemic, all my travel was to and from school and to see my family once; I was in need of some travel for leisure, enjoyment and to explore some new places,” Leibowitz revealed, “My main inspiration for studying abroad was that my dad studied abroad twice during college and it always sounded like the most amazing experience. Since I had been unable to study abroad for two summers and had always wanted to, my family encouraged me to do some additional travel.”
Leibowitz’s dream of participating in a study abroad program granted her plenty of lessons and opportunities, such as being involved in a research lab at a university, working on a project with a PhD student, and preparing a professional research report that is publish-ready.
“I plan to consider a future academic career that involves conducting research. I also am doing research on careers in the field of biomedical engineering as that’s what my research project was about,” says the MSU Senior. “My experience this summer will help me move forward towards this goal because I can use my supervisor and the PhD student I worked with as references. This summer also allowed me to expand my professional network and get good experience in the field.”
While Leibowitz got the most out of her experience, she now urges other college students to seek eligibility for a similar experience catered to their academic and personal fulfillment.
“Take advantage of study abroad programs because it is a great way to explore a country that you’re interested in, and a lot of people also plan travels during weekends or before and after their program ends.”