If you have ever wanted to study abroad, you can do that here at Lyndon State College with the help of Paul Searls.
Searls took over responsibility for coordinating the study abroad program at Lyndon in the fall of 2009; before that, Lyndon only had a Quebec Exchange program, but he thought students here needed more.
Searls has affiliated Lyndon with three study abroad agencies, and through those agencies students can go study all over the world. There is also a process in place where students can apply their financial aid to studying abroad.
Searls says that there are many important things to do while studying abroad. The most important thing is to go out and meet people. Traveling is also an essential part of the experience, along with having lots of fun, and somewhere along the line, studying.
In the fall semester senior Morgan Bailas studied in London. She was overwhelmed and thought it was the scariest thing at first. By the time she came home, however, she said she had made some of the best friends of her life. She is eager to go back, and is even considering attending graduate school in London. While in London, she saw firsthand the reactions to Prince William proposing to Kate, she visited many museums, and generally had a blast.
Something to consider before deciding is the cost. The price of studying abroad varies greatly, depending on where a student goes and which agency sends them there.
Out-of-state students will find the cost to be similar to the cost of Lyndon, while in-state students will generally find it to be more expensive. In addition to being able to use their financial aid, there are scholarships available for studying abroad, and Searls would be happy to discuss the options with students. Searls and Bailas both say that the experience is well worth the price.
For those wanting to study abroad, the first step should be to meet with Searls and discuss when and where they might want to study. It is extremely important that students talk to their adviser as soon as possible about how to work out the rest of their studies here; some majors are easier to do study abroad with than others, but no matter what, Searls attempts to get students where they want to go.
Places students can study include most of Europe, Australia, China, Japan, South Africa, and parts of Latin America, but if the three agencies LSC works with don’t offer where you want to go, Searls will look to find a different agency and make your dreams come true.