Tiger Weekly - Serving Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

LSU students study abroad

By Charles Nunmaker

March 1 marked the deadline for LSU students to send in their applications to study abroad nationally. While the deadline for that has passed, students everywhere still have the opportunity to look into studying abroad internationally or on another college campus nationally.

Academic Programs Abroad, along with other LSU departments and programs, offers a large selection of colleges and universities where students can study abroad for a semester. Among the selection of places to study are locations that vary from within the United States to all around the world.

If a student wants to study within a specific country he or she does not have the requirements for, there are always various different programs that will allow that student to experience his or her favored country.

"Students can study abroad through LSU, but if we do not have what they want, there are outside providers like International Studies Abroad and Academic Programs International," said Dawn Humble the coordinator for National Student Exchange at LSU.

"For example, Spain, Italy and France - f or all of those countries, a student has to have at least four semesters of the language through LSU to study abroad there. Spain and Italy are very popular countries for students who go through LSU. They're still LSU students, and we allow them to study abroad through those programs. They're popular for students who want to study in Spain or Italy and France and don't have the language requirements."

Among the 40 different countries listed to study in are countries anywhere from Argentina to Wales. Dawn Humble said that the most popular location for students to study in was the United Kingdom and the second most popular country was France.

Another popular opportunity for students to study out of Louisiana is special departmental studying programs that take place through the summer. Among those available is anything from studying Art in Spain or Ireland to taking Kinesiology in New Zealand. LSU also has special opportunities to study this summer in countries like Greece, Morocco, Italy and Thailand, and in national and international cities like Paris, France, London, England, Washington D.C. and even in the French Alps.

All of these programs give LSU students a once in a lifetime opportunity to take classes through LSU while studying in new and exciting locations. After the program, students walk away with an experience that can change their lives.

"Studying abroad puts students into the unknown," said Humble. "You learn a lot about yourself and what you are capable of when you are in a strange situation and you have to learn for yourself. When I say this, I mean the semester and the year long exchanges. It just opens you up to other opinions and lets you see how the rest of the world sees America. It lets you know that everywhere you go, the people are really different."

In the next several months, Academic Programs Abroad will be hosting more events and study abroad fairs to inform more LSU students about the exchange programs and the special opportunities of the future.

Originally Published: March 3, 2010

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