Peep the views!
Studying abroad is a one of a kind experience for sure, but being abroad for a full five months isn’t always feasible. There are many reasons why travelling internationally for an entire semester isn’t in the cards for many students: it’s too costly, your major doesn’t accept credits from international universities, you have too many domestic obligations, etc. But, what if I told you that there was a way around almost all of those obstacles that still allowed you to study abroad? Well, there is a way—go abroad during J-Term.
Is it really a genuine study abroad experience if it’s only for two weeks?
I personally was never fortunate enough to study abroad for an entire semester due to my course load (pre-med classes, I’m looking at you). So, I can’t comment on how a J-Term abroad compares or differs from a semester abroad, but I can tell you that I don’t feel as though my time abroad was any more or less genuine than a semester abroad would have been. I learned so much about the country of St. Kitts and Nevis, and I felt extremely immersed.
Since I am earning three credits in two weeks, will I even be able to enjoy the country that I am in?
Absolutely! For the class I was in, we had the lecture portion of class from 8am to 12pm, and then we did hands-on things in the afternoon. Some days our schedule was reversed depending on what we did that day. In addition to class, the group also goes on a lot of excursions. On my trip, we went snorkeling in the Caribbean Sea, hiking in the rain forest, and zip lining through the rain forest.
Is it actually worth it?
Yes! Those two weeks have been the best two weeks of class I have experienced so far in college. I learned so much about the healthcare system in the Caribbean all while enjoying the country I was in. I mean, who wouldn’t want to spend two weeks in the winter on the beach instead of in the snow? Another aspect of the class that I really enjoyed was that the group was small. There were 31 students and 5 faculty members, so we all were able to get extremely close. One year later, and we all are still in a group chat together.
