Valpo Voyager

Student Stories from Around the World

Tag: Alumni Blogs

Think seriously about Study Abroad: your new favorite semester at Valpo.

Alumni Guest Blog.

Daniel Jarratt, Valpo alum, studied abroad in Reutlingen, Germany in 2005 (R-75) and writes about how his experience impacted him.  Valpo alumni are invited to email study.abroad@valpo.edu to share their story on how studying abroad impacted their lives.

Studying abroad is — plain and simple — a lot of fun.  How about jumping into thermal baths and caving in Budapest, punting boats on a river through a medieval German town, or summiting the tallest mountain in Wales?

Studying abroad is unique.  Where else can you have an entire castle tower to yourself for a night in a youth hostel?  See the Queen of England from 3 feet away?  Walk through Roman catacombs, part of the tangible history of the early church?

Studying abroad is living history.  Stand where Martin Luther translated the Bible and where Shakespeare was born.  See bombed-out Coventry Cathedral, the home of the Community of the Cross of Nails of which our Chapel of the Resurrection is a part.  If you have ancestors in the area you’re studying, find their old homes and people who share your name.

My co-hort – R-75

I lived in Reutlingen, Germany, for three semesters (spring 2005, fall 2007, spring 2008) on two Valpo overseas programs (including one after graduation), and I did everything above and much, much more.  My time in Germany was, far and away, one of the most meaningful experiences that Valpo provided.

  • You can and should finish your degree in four years, except for a small handful of majors which have special arrangements.
  • I was frugal, and you’ll be afforded student rates on almost everything if you head to Europe (or another touristed area).  Studying abroad was a very good value.
  • There is a long history of the Grand Tour, and many of Valpo’s students (and the University itself) are its heirs.  Over the last four centuries of Western higher education, students who wished to further their education traveled extensively specifically to learn about the world beyond their community and nation.  If you have the chance to study abroad during college and you don’t, you’re cheating yourself.

Study abroad is important for many of the same reasons the liberal arts are important.  If you believe that education should be about more than just vocational training (and you’re at Valpo, so I assume you do), studying abroad is a key method of learning the liberal arts.  In fact, it may be the most effective: immersing yourself in a work — a book, a symphony, or a place — outshines lectures by even the best professors.

You (yes, you) should study abroad.  Living in Germany was one of the best decisions of my life, and my only regret is I couldn’t stay longer.  You’ll feel the same way too.

in front of the Brandenburg Gate

 

Daniel Jarratt, VU’07 with TV/Radio Production and Humanities majors and a German minor.

One of the best decisions I have ever made.

Alumni Guest Blog.

Kelsey Howard, Valpo alum, studied abroad in Cambridge, England in 2008 (C-82) and writes about how her experience impacted her career plans.  Valpo alumni are invited to email study.abroad@valpo.edu to share their story on how studying abroad impacted their lives.  

 

It has been four years since I took the plunge as a Valpo Study Abroad student in Cambridge, England.  Since then I have travelled to a dozen countries in Europe, completed my Bachelor’s degree at Valpo (Political Science and Humanities at Christ College), earned a Master’s degree from Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge (Intercultural Communication) and now work at an amazing international college where I interact every day with students from all over the world. None of this would have happened if I hadn’t had the opportunity to study abroad.

Fall 2008 Cambridge co-hort

The Fall 2008 Cambridge Co-hort, C-82

I’ll admit it wasn’t an instantaneous, divine revelation for me to choose to move overseas. I came as an undergraduate for a semester and that was all I expected it to be. I wanted to travel, to eat, drink and be merry—all whilst getting to meet new people and experience cultures different than my own. I did all of these things in three short months, but after awhile of being back in the States I knew that I wanted more. When I saw the MA program at ARU entitled ‘Intercultural Communication’ I immediately felt like I had struck gold. I thought to myself, ‘that is exactly what I want to do’.

 

After putting in my application and waiting for a few nervous weeks, I got an offer to return to what had become my second home in 2008 to study once again. I can’t even begin to describe the richness this course offered, but suffice it to say that the students and lecturers I met taught me more in one year than any book could teach me in a lifetime.

my ARU coursemates and I dining at a family-owned Turkish restaurant in Cambridge

Once finishing my Master’s degree, I landed a job at Cambridge Ruskin International College in academic and student support. This post was originally supposed to last only one year (to cover maternity leave), but I have recently been offered a permanent position. I could not be happier to be where I am, doing what I do. I love the students I work with every day—they have already taught me so much!  I couldn’t have asked for a better first real job.

Workmates and I at a social event I planned for my students- CRIC's Got Talent!

Lots of people say that studying abroad changed their life—I am a living testament to that. If it had not been for my decision to study abroad while I was at Valpo, I wouldn’t be where I am today. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made.  

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