During students’ time at Ohio University, many choose to see what is beyond the Athens bricks by using a semester to study abroad. Bobcats who have gone global shared their daily routine and adjustments.
Taking a semester to travel abroad, whether to intern or study in a foreign country, is a popular decision for many OU students. This semester, there are currently an estimated 247 students traveling abroad during the spring semester through domestic and abroad programs and 44 students who traveled over winter break.
The Office of Global Opportunities offers ways for students to start planning for an abroad program. OGO also offers students support while studying away or abroad. OGO is located in the Walter Student Success Center at 15 Park Place. Drop-in advising is Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Catherine Marshall, the director of OGO, discussed the financial aid they offer students and one of her favorite parts of her job: The Gilman Scholarship.
“The Gilman Scholarship has been around for 23-plus years,” Marshall said. “This scholarship is available only for students who get a Pell Grant, and I work with applicants … I reach out to Pell recipients to encourage them to consider studying abroad. And hey, there's a scholarship.”
Providing up to $5,000 in award money, The Gilman Scholarship is just one of many scholarships for students who want to go abroad. Though the exact amount of financial aid money given out this semester is unknown, OGO makes sure to give students plenty of advice and assistance to travel where they want to go.
One student who traveled abroad for the spring semester is Olivia Lybarger, a sophomore studying environmental studies, and she just arrived in Paris, France a few weeks ago.
“I am in a language immersion program,” Lybarger said. “So the actual semester doesn't begin until February. I came a month early with my program for what they call a J-term, and it's all intensive French. I am taking French every single day.”
Lybarger is taking classes at L’Institut Catholique de Paris, a university the program partners with. Through the program, Lybarger can take classes in French, such as art history, as well as plan some additional travel while she is abroad.
“It's so much easier to travel around Europe,” Lybarger said. “There's a train to virtually anywhere, and flights are super cheap, too.”
While abroad, Lybarger is planning trips to the Loire Valley and Belgium. With the program she is abroad with, they plan excursions to other parts of the country, but she is also given time to do some additional travel on her own.
On the weekends, Lybarger finds herself going to museums, already having attended The Louvre and Musée d'Orsay. She has also found time to try some of the cafes and explore what she can whenever she can.
Sean Michael, a sophomore studying political science, is currently abroad in Grenoble, France, where he also just arrived for his semester abroad. Michael is currently taking a French intensive program at the Université Grenoble Alpes through Academic Programs International.
“I kind of knew from the get-go as soon as I entered OU that I wanted to study abroad,” Michael said. “That was one of my goals applying for college, so I've been kind of working on that since the beginning of freshman year.”
Besides taking classes like French grammar and vocabulary, political life of contemporary France and contemporary French literature, Michael will also be participating in the university’s track team.
“Unlike the rest of my classes, which are pretty much just international students learning French, (track) is with everyone at the university,” Michael said. “I'll be meeting a lot of different people.”
Marshall left students with a word of advice for traveling abroad.
“Start looking as soon as you can,” Marshall said. “Even if the thought of studying abroad is just a twinkle in your eye, or it's nothing more than just a little germ of an idea. The earlier students start exploring their options, the longer they have to apply for scholarships.”
