Last week, students were able to attend a Study Abroad Zoom session presented by the Center for Global Engagement. John Dunleavy was able to inform students about study abroad opportunities that we have at the College of Staten Island.

If you have never heard of studying abroad before, it is an opportunity for students to earn academic credits overseas. Doing so will be able to give students travel experience, opportunities to meet new people, and be able to represent yourself, your country, and your college. Study abroad opportunities are a way for students to grow their resume while growing both academically and personally.  

John Dunleavy was able to share with students his own experience with doing a study abroad program. He spoke of his time in Ecuador with fondness explaining how it changed his life. Originally going to school to be a psychologist, Dunleavy now works as a Study Abroad Advisor to help students here at the College of Staten Island.

He also informed students about the various study abroad programs that are available here at CSI. There are partner programs, exchange programs, and faculty-led programs available at CSI. They are available as winter or summer programs. Or you can do a semester or even a full academic year abroad if you pursue it.

Some options for students that were discussed by Dunleavy were our student-exchange programs that are semester-long and students get exchanged with our partner universities. He spoke about the current exchange students CSI has that are from various countries such as Japan, Denmark, and Italy. He also mentioned faculty-led programs where CSI courses are taught abroad by faculty that are from the College.

Not only are there a diversity of countries to visit in and study, but the coursework is also diversified. These courses are taught in English except the language courses you may take while abroad.

There are financial aid and scholarship opportunities for student abroad programs although they are limited. There are also outside scholarships, for example the Gilman scholarships offer up to $5,000 to students. If you need more information about scholarships students can go to the CSI Center for Global Engagement website to access more information.

If you could not attend last week’s Zoom session, be sure to attend International Coffee Hour which happens on the second Thursday of every month! You can also check CSI Connect for any future events that the Center of Global Engagement may have.

By: Rachel Rodrigues