Event helps set up Education Abroad options

By Drew Teague

Many students study abroad each year, and now they often can for what they pay in tuition at UK.

In the Student Center Small Ballroom today, there will be an Education Abroad fair, where students can learn about various opportunities to go abroad while earning UK credits.

“This will be the first time that we will be doing an Education Abroad fair for summer programs,” Education Abroad Director Anthony Ogden said.

There was also a fair in the fall semester for various study abroad programs.

Ogden explained how simple the process of studying abroad is, and said the department will be there helping students along the way.

“To study abroad at UK, it’s really easy compared to most other institutions,” Ogden said. “Simply the students will find a program, apply online through our website and we will help them at every phase after that.”

Ogden said students will be enrolled in a one-credit ISP 599 course, which will keep them in fulltime status while they are abroad.

“(Students) still get their financial aid; they still get their scholarships,” Ogden said.

Ogden said many students ask themselves the wrong questions when they begin the process to go abroad. He would like to see that change.

“At this fair, what I’d like to see happen is that students will come … and they would first ask themselves ‘What is my major; what do I want to study abroad?’” Ogden said. “We should move away from ‘Where do I want to go?’”

Seth Riker, a psychology and Spanish senior, recently returned from a semester abroad in Valparaiso, Chile.

While in Valparaiso, Riker said he lived with a generous host family, traveled and helped out with local community projects, all while learning many things from his time there.

“It’s really hard to put into words, but to be honest, more than anything I brought back a new appreciation for people,” Riker said. “You really don’t really feel that until you’re immersed in another culture … and you kind of have to play by their rules.”

Even with having taken just one semester of college Spanish before heading to Chile, Riker said it was a great experience and he learned a lot of the language from being there, where few people speak English.

“I wish (studying abroad) was mandatory, because it has affected my life in ways that I can’t even really explain,” Riker said. “I wish everyone would do it. I think everyone should do it.”

The Education Abroad fair for summer programs will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. today in the Student Center Small Ballroom and is open to students of all majors.