Hosted once a semester by the Study Abroad Center, the Study Abroad Fair was held Thursday morning in the Memorial Union Great Hall. The event offered students a chance to learn about the variety of study abroad programs available to them.
Sami Semelroth, a senior studying linguistics, said her interest in studying abroad was sparked by her parents hosting exchange students while she was in high school.
“I’ve always been really interested in study abroad,” Semelroth said. “My family hosted two exchange students when I was in high school so it just kind of felt natural to do the same.”
Semelroth participated in a six-week exchange program to Chile.
“It was awesome. My Spanish improved so much, it’s crazy,” Semelroth said. “You don’t really learn too much about South American countries in the American education system, so it was cool going there and learning about what they learned about the U.S. and then about their own history.”
Frank Peters, director of the Study Abroad Center, said there are several of the options available to students.
“We have semester programs, summer programs and then short-term, faculty-led programs,” Peters said. “It’s a kind of a one stop shop so students can come and see what’s available here.”
According to Peters, there are two misconceptions that students can have about studying abroad, including an overwhelming price tag.
“There’s some myths about studying abroad. One that it’s expensive. Actually, there’s a lot of study abroad programs that are cheaper than studying here for a semester,” Peters said.
The second misconception is that studying abroad delays graduation.
“That’s not true. We work very hard to get into courses that count towards graduation, and 1,450 students from Iowa State will study abroad this year,” Peters said.
Grace Black, a sophomore in psychology, attended the Study Abroad Fair in the fall and again on Thursday as part of a class.
“I actually came here last semester too, because I am interested in studying abroad because I think it’d be really fun,” Black said.
Black was interested in the Costa Rica study abroad program because it connects her passion for Spanish and the medical field, which she plans to go into.
“I like it because it’s way shorter, and medical and Spanish for healthcare psychology, they kind of go together,” Black said.
Black enjoyed how engaging and informative the people at the Study Abroad Fair have been.
“Everybody has always been super nice, even last semester when I went, everybody was super talkative. They seem to really love how they studied abroad.” Black said.
Students who missed the fair can visit the Study Abroad Center at 281 Parks Library or connect with their college’s study abroad office. To learn more about the Study Abroad Center, click here.