Have you ever pictured yourself walking down to a café in Rome or perhaps visiting the Eiffel tower in Paris? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in another country?
These dreams might have seemed impossible in the past but now they are within your reach with the help of the study abroad program available to St. John’s students.
In addition to the traditional study abroad offerings, a new program was recently created. Called “Discover the World,” it is a bit different than other study abroad programs in the sense that students are given the opportunity to study in three different countries in a full semester. Students can travel to such places as France, Italy, Spain, Greece and many others while earning 15 credits just as they would if they were studying on campus in New York.
This intensive program has only 150 spaces for students. The program is 15 weeks long, while each course lasts three weeks. The program is divided into three different cohorts. There is cohort A, cohort B, and cohort C. For example, Cohort A would start in Italy and would continue on to France and then Spain while another may start in another country and proceed to the next two.
The requirements to be selected into this program consist of a minimum GPA of 2.75 and two letters of recommendation from people such as professors and advisors as well as an interview.
Though the cost of the program is approximately $7,845, this should not prevent students from applying. The fee includes tuition, airfare, meals, and rooming, in addition to field trips. Financial aid, as well as scholarships, can be attained.
The courses that are offered in this program are mostly aimed at sophomores and juniors, however, senior students are welcome to apply as well. The courses consist of many core requirements such as theology, language, cultural studies, government, politics, and philosophy. Classes are usually four days a week, Monday through Thursday. Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays are left for exploring. Students are encouraged by the St. John’s staff to go out on those days and venture into the streets of this unknown world.
What better way to learn Italian, for example, than walking the streets of Italy?
Learning in a new country can be a wonderful experience. It opens many doors to a future career. A student can meet new people, experience new things, and see places that they have never seen before, except in pictures. Opportunities to travel the world do not come around every day, so it is best to take the chance and see what the world has to offer.
