Students are getting the opportunity to break out of the day-in, day-out drag of classes by transferring to schools around the world – if only for a semester.

Iowa State’s Study Abroad Center provides a unique opportunity to its students to live in another country for a period of time, all while taking classes and learning about a different world.

“Studying abroad offers a whole wealth of choices,” said Trevor Nelson, program manager for the center. “It’s transformative.”

Nelson said there are a variety of different programs with approximately 220 locations with multiple destinations a student can participate in.

Study abroad may be an academic program, Nelson said, but when students get involved with these programs, they learn so much more than just the academics.

“You learn a great deal about the U.S. from different perspectives,” Nelson said. “You come back to the U.S. and view it a bit more objectively.”

Jennifer Skalbeck, senior in history, learned something about herself from her study abroad trip to Wales.

“You are exposed to a lot of new experiences and people,” Skalbeck said. “Not only can you learn a lot about the world, but you can learn a lot about yourself.”

Megan Dau-Schmidt, junior in liberal arts and science-open option, loved being included in a different culture when she studied abroad in France.

“I loved really being able to tour around and really get to know the culture,” she said. “Once I got over there, after about a week, I was able to order food in French.”

Nelson said studying abroad can be a “pivotal experience” and found that students who do study abroad often perform better in classes and become a stronger person because of it.

“I don’t think that you should do it to build your resume, but there is no question that it helps,” Nelson said.

A sense of worldliness proves that you can take on something outside of your day-to-day life and take on a challenge, Nelson said. Studying abroad allows a student to take elective or academic credit and most transfer back to Iowa State.

“We live in a highly interdependent global community,” Nelson said. “For students to understand, they need to travel beyond the boundaries and shores of the U.S.”

Most college students dream of taking a trip to a foreign country to study, but worry they will not have the finances to do so, but there are ways to make studying abroad affordable.

Nelson said there is financial aid, scholarships and grant money available for students to take advantage of. Programs are no good if the students are not able to participate in them, he said.

“The goal is to make them possible to afford,” Nelson said. “We don’t want to put obstacles in the way of studying abroad; we want to make it available to all sets of students.”

Also, with the different lengths of trips available, students that don’t want to take a full year or semester away, can enter a short-term program, such as Spring Break.

Not only the length, but the destination is also up to the student, although some programs are targeted with selected majors in mind.

Nelson said the goal at the study abroad center is to have students study abroad, even though there are some qualifications. Each program has its own set of requirements. Some, but not all, have a requirement of a 3.0 grade point average, and most require at least one academic year completed at Iowa State.

Nelson said placing a student in a program is greatly dependent on the student’s readiness to do so.

“Being aware of your options is a great way to prepare yourself,” said Julie Yankey, program coordinator for the Study Abroad Fair.

Yankey and Nelson suggest that all majors should look into studying abroad. The opportunities go far beyond the academics, they said.

“The Study Abroad Fair is a good place to get the process rolling,” Nelson said. “We want to see more and more students take the advantage to study abroad.”