By Kristy Volmert | Staff Writer
Study abroad is offering a diverse selection of trips for students to choose from in 2025 — 85 options for the summer and 80 for the fall semester. A full list of trips and their descriptions can be found on the Bears Abroad website.
Missouri City sophomore Lauren Ramirez took the European Business Seminar trip last summer and said it was an absolutely unforgettable experience.
“It definitely exceeded my expectations,” she said. “It was the best month of my entire life.”
The European Business Seminar is just one of many month-long trips offered in the summer. Director of Baylor Study Abroad Dr. Bo White said that it is among the two most popular short-term trips, along with Baylor in Great Britain.
According to White, one thing that makes the European Business Seminar so favorable to students is its many different destinations. It includes visits to seven countries: the Czech Republic, Italy, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France and England.
Marketing professor Dr. Keith Richards is the faculty director of the Winter European Business seminar, and said that this trip allows them to visit a variety of European companies, including Lamborghini, Swarovski Crystal, Fassi Gelato, Paris Chamber of Commerce and many more. Randy Hacker, executive director of the Keller Center for Research, will be the director for the summer trip.
“The best part of going on these programs is the incredible relationships that are formed among the students and with the students and faculty. Professor Hacker and I consider it pure joy to travel and learn with so many amazing students each year,” Richards said.
However, the European Business Seminar is not the only Study Abroad trip that takes students to multiple countries — Baylor in East Asia will take students to China, South Korea and Japan. The Music Pedagogues Tour will cover Hungary, Germany and Austria, and Baylor Business also offers trips in other regions such as Scandinavia and Asia.
Baylor in Great Britain is also a popular trip as it is available for about 50 to 80 students. The trip grants students seven credit hours and offers classes from both the School of Business and College of Arts and Sciences. The trip is led by sociology professor Carson Mencken and will run from July 14 through Aug. 14.
The deadline to register for both summer and fall trips is March 1.
“Students are encouraged to start exploring the opportunities at least a year in advance,” White said.
White encouraged all students of all majors to consider taking a study abroad trip and said Baylor’s program allows students to travel safety while also giving them the opportunity to grow academically in ways that fit their degree plan.
“Study abroad allows you to expand your education in a way that allows you to do your four years differently,” White said. “I think it would also immediately set you apart in your career aspirations, as it expands your ability to work across borders and boundaries.”
Students not only learn through these experiences, but also make memories, form new relationships and see incredible things, according to Ramirez.
Ramirez said that she remembers all the beautiful views she saw in Europe, including mountains in Austria while paragliding and the waters in Switzerland. She said the trip reminded her of God’s power through His creation and taught her that “the world is so much bigger than our little problems.”
“It was absolutely 100% worth the time and money,” Ramirez said.
According to White, a vast majority of students who went on study abroad trips are extremely glad that they chose to do so and do not regret their decision at all. He said that, in Daniel Pink’s book “The Power of Regret,” Pink wrote that one of the top five regrets of college graduates is that they did not study abroad.
“Between missions, engaged learning and study abroad, Baylor students have no excuse not to have an international experience,” White said.
Some students may refrain from registering for a trip because they don’t know other people going or because they have never traveled so far or for so long before. Ramirez said she initially felt that way, but was glad she registered.
“It did feel a little out of my comfort zone, just because I signed up not knowing anyone except one person. It was a huge leap of faith — but [I] wouldn’t change it for the world,” Ramirez said.
