Studying abroad from USU

Have you ever thought about studying abroad but you didn’t know what your options were, or where to start? Lucky for you, Utah State University has resources available to help students find and apply for study abroad programs.  

There will be a study abroad fair held on Wednesday, Jan. 18, in the TSC International Lounge from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The study abroad advisers, faculty leaders and program providers will be there to talk with students about the programs.  

The study abroad department within the Office of Global Engagement has advisers available to assist students. These advisers meet with students to help them find which study abroad options would be best for them and to know what resources are available.  

Katie Davidson, a senior study abroad adviser, said advisers have a checklist to go through with students for the first appointment to help them learn about studying abroad.  

“That’s been really helpful kind of giving them the basics of study abroad, ‘Here are the things you need to know to get started’,” Davidson said. “We go through how to navigate the websites, and then let them know they can get back in touch with us.” 

After the initial appointment, advisers will be there to support the students throughout the application process.  

Monika Galvydis, the study abroad director, said she typically finds three ways students benefit from studying abroad. 

“Personally, they’re going to come back with a lot of confidence, and know more about who they are and what they want out of their life,” Galvydis said.   

Students will also benefit from studying abroad academically and professionally, Galvydis said.  

“I can speak to my own experience with study abroad,” Davidson said. “Studying abroad really helped me get out of my comfort zone, become more independent and assertive and learn how to do things on my own. And then professionally, I went into the field of helping other students study abroad, so it impacted me in all those ways as well.” 

USU has different types of study abroad programs.

The first is faculty-led programs. This year, there are 22 faculty-led study abroad programs.   

“The faculty-led programs are opportunities to go with a group of USU students and USU faculty,” Galvydis said. “So basically USU faculty teach the course, but abroad.” 

Some examples of this year’s upcoming faculty-led programs are a Mediterranean diet program in Greece, Christianity and Abolitionism in England, sustainability and peace in Israel and Palestine and introduction to coral reefs in Australia.  

USU students can also study abroad through an exchange program.  

An exchange program gives students the chance to study and spend a semester or year abroad at one of USU’s partner universities, Galvydis said. At some point, a student from that university comes to study at USU.  

USU students have access to the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP), which connects students to universities all around the world, even if USU doesn’t have a direct partnership with them.  

Similar to ISEP, the National Student Exchange gives students the opportunity to do an exchange at universities within the US.  

Direct programs is another study abroad option.  

“Our direct programs, they have programs that are anywhere from a couple of weeks to a semester or a year,” Galvydis said. “Many different places, lots of course options, so that direct option, it really covers everything in between. If you can’t find it in a faculty-led program, or an exchange program, it’ll be in a direct program.” 

Studying abroad is an opportunity open to every student. Different programs have varying costs, which make them more accessible to those who may think studying abroad is not affordable.  

“I think a big myth about study abroad is that it’s just super expensive, and there are certainly very expensive programs out there,” Davidson said. “But there’s also a lot of really affordable programs, and many of our programs are based on USU tuition and fees. There’s also lots of scholarship opportunities.” 

More information about studying abroad can be found at studyabroad.usu.edu, and study abroad adviser appointments can be made through the website.  

“Just to take the leap and do it. I feel like students think it’s not an attainable goal, and it absolutely is,” Galvydis said. “It can be affordable, it can help them progress in their degree, it can help them progress personally beyond what they’ve imagined. Yeah, just go for it.”