Travel a way for students to learn outside the classroom

Hillary Smith

MCC offers many programs to help widen student’s world and cultural knowledge. There are many more varieties of study to assist in globalization, but wouldn’t it be more exciting to experience it rather than reading it from a book?

MCC Education Abroad Coordinator, Yvonne Schmidt thinks it is much more exciting to be a part of it.

Schmidt has studied abroad herself for Spanish 201 in Costa Rica.

She lived with a host family who forced her to speak their native tongue.

Even though the children of the household spoke English as well as French and Spanish the mother only spoke Spanish.

To keep her on her learning path to success no one allowed her to speak English.

When studying a foreign language these
programs are a great experience to practice in the true culture of the language.

There are ten programs offered at the Southern and Dobson MCC campus and more at the other campuses.

MCC offers one program to Asia, four to Mexico and four to Europe (an additional European trip to Brussels was cancelled).

MCC offers study abroad programs for all students, some have requirements but most of them do not.

If the desire is to take pictures around Paris or indulge into world politics, feel free, the trip is for personal knowledge and experience.

The lengths range from one week to one month, making it more available to those students who work full time or don’t have the money or time to travel for that long.

If it is money that is the problem, there are scholarships and grants available to the students and underrepresented students.

FAFSA can also be of assistance for student travels across the world.

Since study abroad programs are summer school classes, financial aid can and may be rewarded to students that apply.

Matt Cline, an ASU student, highly recommends studying abroad.

His parents bought his trip to Greece as a high school graduation present.

“I will remember the views forever,” Cline said.

He feels no student would regret spending a summer abroad.

“If you’re looking for the experience of a lifetime and something you will never forget, I know it sounds a little clique, but really it is worth it,” he said.

  • Mesa Legend Staff

    These are archived stories from Mesa Legend editions before Fall 2018. See article for corresponding author.

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