LEHIGH STUDENTS DISCUSS StudY Abroad EXPERIENCES
By Britteny Egan ’13
Have you ever studied abroad before?
Ever want to share your study abroad
experience or hear others experiences?
Well, last Friday, Feb. 4, nine
Lehigh students attended the Delaware
Valley Re-Entry Conference to share
their study abroad experiences.
Morgan Volkart, one of Lehigh’s study
abroad advisors, hosted the trip to
Drexel University for the conference.
She said this was the first year to
have this many students attend from
Lehigh. The program is fairly new and
now that more students are studying
abroad, more are getting involved in
these conferences
The Delaware Valley Re-Entry
Conference program is filled with a
variety of events and presentations to
give students the chance to talk with
other students from surrounding
colleges about their study abroad
experiences. Volkart said the
conference was a great turn out; there
were around 100 students that
attended. She said it was nice for
students to see what they had in
common with one another about being
abroad and to hear each other’s
stories about what it was like
returning to the U.S. They also talked
about whether or not they will go
abroad again, Volkart said.
“I think the conference was great
because I got to meet a lot of amazing
people from both colleges and
real-world industries,” said Ling
Tong, ‘14. “Many people at the
conference traveled around the world,
and I just felt there are a lot more
experiences to explore.”
Volkart said many students who have
been abroad absolutely loved it, and
many are considering going abroad
again after they graduate. Another
objective of the conference is to
inform students about how to obtain
other study abroad opportunities after
graduation.
Lehigh University has many study
abroad offerings as well. Lehigh
offers over 200 programs in over 60
countries. Students may choose
semester-long programs, year-long
programs, or even six-week programs
during the summer and winter. There
are a few faculty short term programs
as well. There are many options to
choose from to help fit any student
looking for a great adventure and an
experience of a lifetime.
While the conference was a great
opportunity for students to discuss
their study abroad experiences, they
also have opportunities for
reflections on their own campus. In
fact, Lehigh offers something similar
called the Study Abroad Re-Entry
Series. This series offers several
events held on campus to give students
the chance to share experiences, learn
about other’s experiences and find out
how to go abroad after graduation.
Many of the events offer the
networking connections a student may
need to apply, ask questions, and get
any advice they may need for going
abroad. The series lets students know
about the uses of Career Services,
different scholarships offered, and
what kind of careers there are
available when going abroad after
graduation.
Volkart said she hopes to see the
involvement in this conference grow
each year. She recommends that
students who have not studied abroad
to set up an appointment with an
advisor from the Study Abroad Office.
The staff can help you with any
questions you may have and help guide
you to where you want to study, she
said. There are also “Get Started”
sessions held on campus during the
week that help students learn the
basics about entering a study abroad
program.
Now is your chance to go explore. Try
a Get Started Session or talk with
students who have been abroad. Maybe
one day you can attend a re-entry
conference and share your study abroad
experiences too.
