Students could visit 12 tables at the 22nd annual Study Abroad Fair Thursday, Sept. 19 in the Student Center to discuss the three different programs available for them if they would like to study abroad.
Interested students were offered a broad range of experiences in three types of programs, faculty-led, exchange, and affiliate.
Faculty-led programs incorporate a travel component into a class taught at Cleveland State.
Exchange programs are available in the United States and abroad and allow students to spend a semester at one of 180 participating universities.
Affiliate programs can be for any length of time and include a direct enrollment in a pre-approved program provider.
The fair gained a lot of attention with the help of different booths, free popcorn, a henna station, and a DJ playing cultural music. Students weaved through displays, learning about opportunities available locally and outside the city’s campus. Many more times than not, the tables were crowding talking to various program representatives.
Program planners gave away pamphlets, bobble heads, flags, globes, and treats at the tables set up. Julie Good, an advisor for the Center for International Services and Programs, said students who study abroad gain many benefits from the experience. She said only 10% of students study abroad, which can give them a cutting edge for careers.
“When you go to a job interview, it’s a great differentiator,” Good said, “You learn and have a broader understanding of your major.”
Taylor Wallace, a senior studying film, traveled to South Korea and said it allowed her to grow as a person and in her major.
“It was great, very different from here,” she said. “I took a Korean language course which was nice because I was able to have a basic conversation with natives.”
Wallace joined a club that combined natives and foreign students, allowing people to get to know each other better. Wallace added that she learned a lot through studying abroad and encourages others to do it as well.
The Study Abroad Fair stayed busy most of the day, but came alive around 11 a.m. during the four-hour fair, when crowds massed around tables in search of merchandise and information.