So You Want To Study Abroad: Navigating Winter Term Study Abroad Options
On April 1st, the Isabella Cannon Global Education Center announced next year’s Global Short-Term Programs. These programs include winter term 2022 study abroad and study USA programs and fall 2021 travel-embedded courses.
Next year, Elon is offering over 30 winter term 2022 study abroad opportunities. On April 9, the GEC offered a global short-term program fair for students to have the opportunity to engage with faculty leading these available programs.
“I am interested in studying abroad over Winter Term as I will be able to have the experience of studying in another country, while not having to worry about not taking required classes for my major, minors, and grad schools,” says sophomore Madison Federici, who attended the session.
Recognized nationally by the U.S. News & World Report and ranking first in study abroad programming, many students are drawn to Elon for study abroad opportunities.
“When I first applied to Elon, I loved the fact that there were so many options for study abroad programs,” says Catherine Cole, a senior global ambassador for the GEC.
Cole has participated in both Winter Term and semester study abroad experiences. She participated in the CET Prague semester program and “BUS281: Business in the Pacific Rim” winter term course in Vietnam.
“I always knew that I wanted to spend a semester in Europe, however the opportunity to go somewhere for three weeks was very intriguing to me,” says Cole.
Like many students, Cole was interested in traveling to a place she had never been to before and likely would not have the chance to otherwise.
“Personally, I wanted to spend my Winter Term somewhere extremely different that I likely would not go for a semester and thus decided to go to Vietnam during my sophomore year,” says Cole. “I had never been to Asia before this program and it was such a great experience.”
“I found that three weeks was the perfect amount of time to immerse myself in the culture, explore multiple cities, and complete an interesting course related to our travel,” Cole offers for students struggling to determine if they want to pursue a longer or shorter study abroad program.
“Because so many Elon students were unable to participate in a traditional semester-long program due to Covid, winter term is an opportunity for those who had canceled programs to still participate in global engagement and fulfill an ELR,” Cole adds.
However, with the cancellation of the 2021 winter term study abroad programs and some fall 2020 programs, students interested or required to study abroad face challenges. Winter term programs have limited availability for each program, making this year’s process more competitive than in the past.
Junior student Avery DeLacey was supposed to study abroad this past fall. As a junior, she has little opportunity to study abroad in the future.
The Isabella Cannon Global Education Center is located at Global Commons 360. Their mission is to “To develop and facilitate experiential opportunities for the Elon University community that promote understanding of the self, the world’s peoples and cultures, and that provide a framework for lifelong intercultural learning.” Photo by Emerson Wells.
“I was supposed to study abroad the fall of my junior year and couldn’t, so I’m really hoping to get into the J-term trip I want for next year,” says DeLacey. “There’s only 30 spots open for each trip which is really hard because I’ve never been able to study abroad.”
Despite this, as a global ambassador, Cole encourages students to apply.
“I encourage anyone remotely interested in a program to apply. Whether you are someone with a busy academic schedule looking to squeeze in a study abroad experience, or you are a first-year student intrigued by these programs and global engagement in general, winter term abroad is such an awesome experience to have during your time at Elon,” says Cole.
Applications for programs open on April 14 with no required application deposit. Although students can only apply to one program per term, students will have the chance to change programs if waitlisted or if they change their minds.
The early action deadline is May 6 at 11:59 pm EST. Applying by this date is the “best chance at being accepted into your preferred program” says Jon Dooley, Vice President for Student Life, in an email.
For more information and to apply for programs, visit the GEC website.