By Emily Schoch | Staff Writer
Students were eager to explore their options at the Study Abroad Fair on Tuesday during Dr Pepper Hour in the Bill Daniel Student Center, where representatives showcased a variety of international programs designed to broaden academic and cultural horizons. The event provided attendees with information on destinations, scholarships and immersive experiences, and it encouraged students to take their education beyond the classroom.
Study abroad programs at Baylor are broken down into semester, year-long, summer trips or winter trips. There are a number of different study abroad options which vary in majors, degree plans, required credits and time spent abroad.
Eric Russell is the study abroad program adviser for the department of global engagement and academic affairs. He said it is beneficial for students to experience different cultures while attending college.
“Expand your horizons and get a completely different sense of culture, of how classes work, of introducing yourself to new people,” Russell said. “Having those new people become your friends influences how you do different things. It’s really just a broadening of your horizons and seeing the world in a completely different way.”
Russell said he believes studying abroad is an experience that every student should have the chance to do. Russell points out that most students don’t know the difference between a semester-long program and a summer-long program.
“For semester programs, they are wonderful in the fact that all of your scholarship and tuition financial aid still stays with you,” Russell said. “So whatever you’re paying for tuition at Baylor, that’s what you’ll be paying abroad. So it’s pretty financially minded, instead of the summer, where all of that kind of goes away.”
Semester-long programs are beneficial to students because the cost is similar to attending Baylor classes in Waco. During semester trips, “all of your scholarship and tuition financial aid still stays with you,” Russell said, which isn’t the case for summer trips. But, he said that this is not the only difference between studying abroad for a semester versus over the summer.
“The other thing is, you have a longer time to spend in the culture, to spend in the language, to spend with friends,” Russell said. “A lot of times when you spend this much time in the country, you don’t just make friends. You connect with them for a couple more years. You make friends you’ll connect with for the whole rest of your life.”
Dr. Mia Moody, chair of the department of journalism, public relations and new media, is the faculty director of a study abroad trip during the summer of 2025. Moody emphasized how immersive and integrative studying abroad during the summer can be.
“[Most study abroad trips that take place in the summer] will be five weeks and students will be able to take two courses for a total of six hours,” Moody said. “We have more time to do the things that they might like to do, more time to go sightseeing, more time to go on excursions, but then we also go to class.”
Moody said that studying abroad during the summer is extremely immersive because the trips are typically led by faculty who will take the cohort of students to different places in the respected country to which they typically align with the curriculum being taught.
“So they will be in class in the mornings, four days a week, and then three days a week we will be able to go on some tours and do some sightseeing,” Moody said. “So it’s kind of the best of both worlds, where you’re able to learn in a classroom setting, but then you’re also able to go out and explore and learn more about the particular area that you’re doing your study abroad program.”
Beyond semester and summer-long study abroad programs, students also have the choice to commit to a different country for a whole year, as well as the length of winter break. Regardless of whatever trip students decide to embark on, Russell said his favorite part about working within the study abroad office is seeing the way that students change and evolve after studying abroad.
“[Students will become] a little bit more prepared for literally everything because traveling abroad you have to take control of how you live and what you do,” Russell said. “You become much more confident, much more independent, much more willing to take harder steps, little bit more risks when you’re doing things. It gives you a completely new sense of self and accomplishment and independence.”