Arts & Leisure
An American Broad Ventures Abroad

Related Links:

  • The College of New Jersey Global Programs - TCNJ’s web site containing information about studying abroad, internships abroad as well as winter and summer programs for students.
  • National Student Exchange - A web site with information for students who perhaps can’t leave the continent and study abroad but wish to take courses at another college in the US (US territories or even Canada) other than the school they’re already attending.
  • College Consortium for International Studies - A site containing information on studying abroad opportunities for students.

Other Stories in Arts & Leisure:
By Lauren Kidd
Staff Writer
“Old people are your allies,” explained Nikolaus Mische, Coordinator of Undergraduate Programs for the Office of Global Programs, at The College of New Jersey.

The audience chuckled, but he was serious. “Old people and cops.”

Standing at the head of a lecture hall, packed with excited students and nervous parents, Mische explained the ins and outs of traveling abroad.

If you are lost at night, “Don’t pull out a map…no eye contact…be in a well lit area…don’t look like a tourist.”

“You can only bring two suitcases, but I recommend one,” he went on. As my jaw dropped, my parents seated on either side of me, looked in my direction and laughed. After all, when I traveled to Dallas for five days, I packed so thoroughly that the lady at the Continental bag check counter asked if I was flying overseas. My suitcase even got tagged with a bright orange label that read “HEAVY.”

And now, Mische was telling me that I should only bring one suitcase, for a four-month stint in England.
During the pre-departure orientation session, we heard about passports, course selection, credit transfer, travel guides, health insurance, and other important information, relevant to spending a semester away from home.

The technical talk hit me. I was really going to England.

It always seemed like some far-fetched dream, a venture I hoped to pursue but would never actually follow through with. So much led up to my final decision to study at The University College of Worcester.

"If you are lost at night, 'Don’t pull out a map…no eye contact…be in a well lit area…don’t look like a tourist.'"
A high school evening spent with my best friend first sparked my desire to spend time overseas. We fell in love with the Irish culture, the rolling hills, the green fields, stone houses, castles, brogues, and pubs thanks to the movie, Circle of Friends. We made a pact to get there one day.

When I learned about the study abroad program at The College of New Jersey, I saw it as my chance to honor our dream vacation.

 Logically, the movie, the pubs and all the hype Alison and I built up for ourselves seemed reason enough for me to spend four months of my life, by myself, across the Atlantic in a foreign country, where I didn’t know a soul.

“When one studies abroad that particular student really only can rely on himself or herself because Mom and Dad are not around to do the problem solving for the student, so you have to solve all the problems yourself,” explains Jeffrey Harper, Associate Director of Internal Business Programs at Texas Tech University.
I have already lived on my own at college for more than a year. I know responsibility. At the time, it did not occur to me that being a plane ride’s distance across the ocean from home, was going to be a lot different than the hour and a half drive I had become accustomed to.

But I wanted to go to Ireland. After all, my great-grandfather owned a farm there, my good friend Tricia is an award winning Irish step dancer, and of course, my high school friend Nicole has a shamrock tattooed on her hip. At least I had some connection to Ireland, bigger than the classic pubs Alison and I dreamed of frequenting.

I took the first step in the process of studying abroad at the start of sophomore year of college, attending a
weekly interest session with my friends Eric and Becky.

“We are all going to go away next year,” we said to ourselves, as we walked across campus to the meeting. We believed it too.

“I’m going to Italy,” said Eric.

“I’m going to Australia,” said Becky.

“I’m going to Ireland,” I said.

Unfortunately for us, this particular week’s information session featured a guest speaker straight out of Oxford, England.

“What about our countries?” Eric angrily scribbled on the blue flyer that Mische had handed me. “What about ITALY?”

We left the meeting unsatisfied, but still eager to learn more about the study abroad opportunities that were available to us as students.
"At the time, it did not occur to me that being a plane ride’s distance across the ocean from home, was going to be a lot different than the hour and a half drive I had become accustomed to."
I researched my options, and narrowed my Irish education down to two schools, The University of Galway and The University of Limerick.

“I would tell a student to really learn about where they are going, the more the student knows about the politics, government, and customs of the country they will be visiting the easier they will be better able to integrate into the country,” believes Harper.

I conducted my research. Then the hype died down and the reality hit me. Sure I wanted to visit Ireland, but I did not want to live there for an entire semester. I really just wanted to vacation there. Two weeks tops. With Alison.

Later in the month, Eric asked me if I still planned on going abroad. “No way!” I exclaimed, “It is too far. It is too long. I would miss out on too much…”

“Me neither,” he admitted, “Why were we kidding ourselves? That didn’t last very long.”

On the other hand, a disappointed Becky desperately wanted to study overseas, but for her it was not possible. As an elementary education psychology major, she could never graduate in four years and study abroad in the same college career. Besides having lots of babies and marrying a romantic man, one of Becky’s main goals in life is to graduate in four years.

“There are few times in a student’s life when he or she can simply pick up and move to another country for six months to a year,” explains Harper. “After graduation many students look for full time employment, get married, and so forth, which really means that if a student is interested in going overseas it may be much easier to do so as a student.”

Becky and I let go of our tempting international idea, and instead focused our brainpower on finding a suitable house to live in with our friends our junior year. Living off campus would be just as beneficial of a learning experience as immersing ourselves in another culture…right?
“'There are few times in a student’s life when he or she can simply pick up and move to another country for six months to a year,' explains Harper."


Beth Kramer would not think so. As a marketing major at The University of Cincinnati, she took part in a study abroad program that brought her to Finland, Amsterdam, Paris, and Belgium.

“Experiencing culture first-hand gives you knowledge you could never learn from a textbook…Studying abroad really opened my eyes to other cultures and the opportunities that exist in the world, not just in Cincinnati, Ohio. Being abroad also taught me a lot about myself and brought out more self confidence,” says Kramer.
Harper also feels that studying abroad allows students to grow. “I think one of the most rewarding experiences that I have in my occupation is getting the opportunity to work with students, many who are very shy, and then see this changed individual upon their return.”

Our house hunting process did not turn out to be a huge success. In fact, it wasn’t any sort of success. We failed. But there were six of us, and we wanted to live together, so it was going to happen. We had hope, until the day when Becky and I returned from the mall.
Becky pulled her car back into the college parking lot. We returned to the familiar subject of studying abroad, and somehow in a ten-minute conversation in her blue Altima, we made a major decision.
We were going to study in England.

Becky ended up changing her major. Miraculously, she could study abroad and finish school in check with her internal schedule.

True, Becky did want to go to Australia, and I did want to go to Ireland. But, we ranked England as our second choice. We had the opportunity to experience this together. We would be the American girls in England—it was set—and we were going to make it all work out. All we had to do was break the news to our now-former future housemates.

We predicted that our friends would be mad for a while because we were going back out on our plans. But they would have to accept it. After all, this was England, a once in a lifetime opportunity for us.
“They [family and friends] realized this was an awesome opportunity for me, and I think they knew what a good time it would be,” reflects Kramer, on her experience studying abroad.

We dropped the bomb, and ducked our heads. Although turmoil, disappointment, tears, and anger flew, we understood our friends’ reactions. And in the end, they understood our decision.
Becky and I were headed to England.

I soon told our friend Erin our plans. She was impressed, and revealed to me her desire to study in England second semester of her junior year. Later in the night, after our share of foosball and beer, a brillia nt idea popped into my head.
“'We would be the American girls in England—it was set—and we were going to make it all work out. "


“Erin, why don’t you come to England with us?”

Erin smiled and screamed. “Yeah, I want to, Really? Yes!”

Becky’s friend Lauren decided to accompany us as well. Now we are four American broads going abroad.
I know I will miss my family and friends, but this is an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. Europe awaits.

“…Leave the country with an ‘open mind’,” advises Harper.

We will. We depart in September…
Lauren Kidd is a junior journalism/professional writing major at The College of New Jersey. On campus, she is active in both unbound and The Signal, and is president of the TCNJ women's volleyball club.
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