Ohio University offers an extensive amount of study away opportunities for students. However, students wishing to study abroad are often intimidated by the application process and don’t know where to begin. Sept. 17, these students were able to get their questions answered and begin planning for their global experience at the Global Opportunities Fair.
Keely Davin is the associate director of global opportunities and has contributed to the fair since she joined the office in 2011.
“The fair had previously been running for a long time, almost as long as the office has been around,” Davin said. “We have had a hiatus since COVID, so this will actually be our first fair since COVID which we’re really excited about.”
The purpose of the fair is both to garner interest in the university’s programs and to provide students with a low-stress first step to studying abroad.
“We want students to be able to see the opportunities that are out there, so some students will be early in their career just taking in the options, and other students who are maybe ready to apply to a program … can actually talk to someone from that program,” Davin said.
From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the day of the fair, Baker University Center ballroom was a maze of tables and poster boards, each one representing a different study away experience offered by the Office of Global Opportunities, or OGO, or one of their affiliate providers.
“We have a handful of affiliates,” Davin said. “We’ve vetted those providers and feel really good about the services they offer so we invite them as well.”
In addition to OGO staff and providers outside of OU, the ballroom hosted faculty directors and students who recently returned from a study away experience. One of these students was Abbey Adams, a sophomore studying journalism, who participated in the International Mass Media in Germany program in the spring.
“It was a really great experience and I love to talk about it,” Adams said about her decision to work at the fair.
Despite already having an educational experience abroad under her belt, Adams is on the lookout for another program to participate in, another reason she decided to participate in the fair.
“I like seeing all the other programs OU has to offer because I went on this experience and I’m more than interested in going on another one because I had a positive experience with this one,” she said.
Another student pursuing a potential experience abroad is Tamia Hardin, a freshman studying psychology.
“I haven’t traveled a lot so I want the opportunity to do that and I feel like this is a great way to open some doors,” Hardin said.
Hardin arrived at the fair with the hopes of conceptualizing “how vast the world is” and to get some inspiration for a potential learning experience overseas. After spending some time among the trip returnees and faculty advisors, she was impressed by the passion sitting behind each table.
“As soon as you walk up they’re super excited to talk to you and tell you about their program, what they offer, how exciting it can be, and it really just instills a lot of inspiration in you to do it,” she said.
Hardin’s attitude toward the fair was exactly the type of energy Adams hoped the fair’s attendees would bring.
“I hope they (attendees) have an open mind to this entire experience and are open to maybe traveling to countries they didn’t think they would want to go to,” she said, citing her experience in Germany as one she never imagined for herself but ended up immensely enjoying.
For students interested in studying abroad who were unable to attend the fair, OGO offers drop-in advising hours on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and encourages students to stop in with questions.
“Whether you went to the fair or didn’t go to the fair, your next step is to come in and chat with a peer advisor … or if there was a faculty-led program that was really of interest to you, you can contact those faculty members directly to learn more,” Davin said.
