For me, the summers have always been my opportunity to work and save for three straight months for the upcoming school year. My time has revolved around different part-time jobs with limited free days. This summer, at least for part of it, I get to spend my time traveling and exploring different countries and cultures. I enrolled in a global seminar through NDSU which includes a 10-day trip to Italy this summer. The class itself took place this semester with meetings about once a month mostly talking about the trip details or the things we will have the chance to do. I received two credits for the class this spring and will receive one credit this summer for the trip itself. We will be going to Venice, Florence, and Rome while in Italy which were definitely all on my bucket list.
I have never actually been out of the country before so I am a little nervous about the logistics of that but am more excited than anything to learn about these cities. It is faculty-led and the professor that is leading it is very knowledgeable and a frequent traveler himself. He is a political science professor and his interests include international politics. I'm looking forward to him leading this trip and learning some interesting facts from him about the history and politics of these different cities.
NDSU usually hosts study-abroad fairs which is where I was introduced to this program. I do believe that immersing yourself into another culture is the best way to actively learn and be engaged. And although I have not gone yet, I would be quick to recommend this type of trip to students who are considering. I think it is the perfect way to introduce yourself to traveling abroad and the faculty-led aspect was something that appealed to me. It is a great way to get outside of your comfort zone and see if this type of studying is something you enjoy. I’m hoping it helps me become comfortable with international travel and ideally I will want to travel abroad again in the future. Something I always like to tell myself is “you'll never know what could've been,” which is partly what helped me decide to do this trip. I highly encourage prospective students to look into this opportunity if you are even remotely interested!
-Emily
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