OIA offers affordable education abroad options to students

Xiaohan Wu
Fri, 31 Aug 2018 18:56:45 +0000
Campus, News, college study abroad, ohio state, ohio state office of international affairs, Ohio State OIA, ohio state study abroad, Ohio State study abroad fair, study abroad

Students have an opportunity to learn about study abroad opportunities at this years’ Study Abroad Expo. Courtesy: Rebecca McMunn

Students will have the opportunity to learn about the study abroad trips Ohio State offers during the Study Abroad Expo hosted by the Office of International Affairs from 2 to 6 p.m. in the Archie Griffin East Ballroom at the Ohio Union on Sept. 4.

Over 100 programs will be exclusively available to Ohio State students, while students will also the opportunity to talk one-on-one with experts and look for a program that is the best fit.

This year students who attend the exhibition can receive a free on-site passport photo from the Franklin County Clerk of Courts’ office.

“We don’t want students to miss valuable opportunities to learn about other cultures, to earn a credit that can go toward their degree here, just to get a different view,” OIA Associate Director for Education Abroad Program Jeannie Simmons said.

In addition to options from OIA, other third-party providers who partner with Ohio State across the country will appear at the Expo.

Simmons said collaboration with other institutions not only broadens diversity of available programs, but helps lighten the workload of faculty members. In some cases, Ohio State faculty may not be able to lead a program for an entire semester, ?and this can be addressed by replacing them with staff from third-party organizers.

When it comes to students’ uncertainty about involvement in a program, Abby Richard,a second-year in history who joined a month-long program this May in Hungary, said studying abroad is an unforgettable experience.
Richard said that any student who is thinking about participating in an education program should apply because “you’ll never regret doing it.”

“One of my favorite parts of the trip was when everyone stayed up all night to watch the sunrise from the top of the Citadel — a hill that looks over Budapest,” Richard said. “We were all super tired, but I’ll never forget seeing one of the most beautiful sunrises with all my new friends.”

Common concerns, like timing and finances, might hinder students from engaging in education abroad events, Simmons said.

“We have all the resources of scholarship and funding and we are happy to talk to students about more details regarding how we can make studying abroad more affordable,” Simmons said. “Sometimes people have misconceptions about our programs. Actually, it is not as costly as it is thought.”

“It was an extremely good value for its price,” Richard said. “My parents were surprised that it was so inexpensive for everything that it included.”