CMU School of Drama


Friday, November 11, 2016

Best Adventurous Study Abroad Locations: Details

collegecandy.com: A semester abroad has the power to change many people’s lives. The chance to explore the world and experience new cultures is a once in a lifetime opportunity that all college students should try to take advantage of. While you’ll be learning (of course!), traveling to a different country also gives you other opportunities to do and see so many things you couldn’t by staying in America.

9 comments:

Michelle Li said...

Oooooo. The ever-looming topic of studying abroad. I've known for a very long time at this point that I've always wanted to have part of my college education abroad in another country. Cultural diversity and travel are both important things in my life and I think that everyone should take advantage of studying abroad if their situation allows it. It is a rich opportunity that allows you to not only grow as an artist, but also just as an individual. I strongly believe that it is important to remember that there will always be a larger part of the world out there. There will ALWAYS be more places to explore, more people to meet, more cuisine to eat. Studying abroad will hopefully stretch your horizons and give you a feel for other parts of the world. I also feel like it's one of the few times in your life that you will probably be able to get away with living in another country for an extended period of time without any real obstacles! As a prospective costume design major, I've already been looking into universities overseas for potential comparable programs. I know that Nix LoPinto, a junior costume major, is studying abroad in Wimbledon next spring-- I'm planning on keeping in touch with her to see how that program develops because from what I've heard, it seems really promising! I hope to perhaps study there in the coming years.

Jasmine Lesane said...

I always wondered how people decided where to go for their study abroad semesters. This article could be a really interesting read, but sadly it doesn’t quite make the cut s useful. I think because even though it is targeted s being for college students the descriptions of the places are more like perks for someone looking for a week long vacation. I would have preferred information on the culture, their everyday life, their history, what areas in education re those places known for? I suppose as a starting point this article isn’t bad, because I had never considered Marrakesh Morocco or Buenos Aires, Argentina. And I certainly never thought about going to school at sea for a semester, but I bet for like marine biologist this could be beneficial and enlightening. I wonder with those programs if you re allowed to onboard for a few days in each country like on cruise ships?

Nick Waddington said...

I am a little conflicted about this article because I love everything about the idea of studying abroad, from travel to seeing new places, meeting new people, immersing myself in a new culture, and learning from people who see the world from a entirely different point. However in an article like this i would prefer that it provided more information about the learning opportunities in these various countries, or the universities that are best for study abroad. however it seems to only include fluff about how pretty each country is, and what tourist spots you can find.

Despite this, i personally found the idea of a semester at sea incredibly interesting because of a few reasons. one, I love sailing, and i would basically be able to spend my semester doing exactly that. Also the ropework on a ship would likely attribute itself well to our rigging education, and likewise our rigging education would give us a leg up on board. All in all i would be happy to take a semester abroad, and i would love more articles that address that.

Megan Jones said...

Jasmine is right that this article seems much more like a list of vacation spots than places to study abroad. I know a lot of my friends at other universities and in other majors are abroad right now all across the world, and it seems like a really awesome experience. My biggest issue with study abroad is that it really doesn't seem like much of a possibility for design and production students. Last year at the study abroad section of Conservatory Hour there was only on DP there who had travel abroad, which is not very encouraging. It also seems like the only place that we go to is the UK, while the actors are sent all over the world. I suppose there probably just aren't that many programs out there that would supplement the education that we were receiving here enough, but hopefully that will change in the coming years. I would love to visit the places on this list, but it really doesn't seem feasible for us.

Drew H said...

I wasn’t expecting London to be on this list because it is not necessarily an adventure hot spot. Nevertheless, studying abroad is an adventure in it self. The reason I was looking to London for a location for my semester abroad was due to its thriving theater scene. As a theater student who was looking to continue his coursework, studying theater was the most important aspect of my study abroad criteria. Now, I would have loved to go to Japan or Argentina or some other location where I may experience a huge culture shock but I do not think my experience will be any less thrilling. I plan to travel whenever possible, see as many sites and views as I can get my eyes on, and really engage in the culture and that is what I think studying abroad is about. It is a time to learn what you can’t learn when you are in your comfort zone or bubble. I am excited to grow and learn.

Lauren Miller said...

I would love to study abroad - but up until extremely recently I was not aware that that was an option for anyone pursuing what I plan to declare. In conjunction, this website seems, as Jasmine said, to be more of a list of vacation spots rather than an actual resource. I would love to go to many of these places, based on the description provided, but, based on my experiences traveling to or living in a few of the cities mentioned, these places are extremely difficult to operate in as an outsider. For example, Shanghai is described as a "bustling metropolis" and great for "adventurous eaters". Which it is, Shanghai is beautiful and full of people from so many backgrounds and there is an incredible history to the city. However,there is a gigantic language barrier, driving laws and signals are completely different, and the threat of food poisoning hangs heavy on your mind. Personally, I wouldn't head down to the food streets until you had been there for several months and built up the digestive system to handle the water and food that is so different from that in the States (everything here is so purified and clean that we really can't handle much). I am in no way saying that you shouldn't travel. You really should. It is eye-opening to talk to people who have completely different perspectives and a way of life from your own. Just don't waltz into a country expecting it to be easy and everyone to cater to you. Come prepared.

Javier Galarza-Garcia said...

I'm going to have to agree with Jasmine and Megan and say that this just seems like a list of vacation spots rather than places to STUDY abroad. This article failed to convince me that any of these locations are actually good places to study. What they described in the article was the night life, events, food, and activities you can take of advantage in the countries. I would have liked to know more about education opportunities, housing details, a description of how students have experienced said places while studying. Ether way, I don't really see myself studying abroad right now. It is more difficult for a design and production student because apparently because not many of them do. I personally would love the opportunity to go abroad and learn about how other countries go about designing productions and how different the technology is. But right now, it just looks like i'll be staying in pittsburgh the whole time. We'll see.

Zak Biggins said...

Wow I really enjoyed this article. I would love to study abroad. I think it is so important to understand other cultures. Studying abroad offers such a unique education that is incomparable to anything you will learn in the states. Although, I do agree with Javi this article did not really highlight any places that I would like to study, it did prompt me to do some thinking. I think important questions are: what do you want to gain from being abroad? What type of culture is important that you explore? I know personally, that I really want to get in touch with my latino roots, so studying abroad in a spanish speaking country is something that really interests me. Hopefully during my time at cmu there will be an opportunity to do so.

Jake Poser said...

I am so ready for a vacation and this list provides awesome locations that I hope one day I am able to visit. Along with the details provided in the article I also wish that the article included some notable programs or schools in the area. Because it doesn't offer any actual academic info, I agree with many that the list seems like a nice list of vaca spots.
Aside from it being a pretty open ended this, I never really considered all the places that I could study abroad. CMU rides this weird line of being really open to Study Abroad because we can study anywhere we can make a case for. But at the same time our programs within the School of Drama make it difficult for us to go.
With a dean that so strongly encourages studying abroad I find it difficult to understand why some of our faculty and course work isn't accommodating.
I hope that with a push from more students the course work and curriculum could be paired more and work with more schools in other countries.