| Written by Victoria B. |
At Rutgers–Camden we offer many Study Abroad opportunities. I personally haven’t participating in the Study Abroad program, but my friend Shannon has to visit Belgium and France. Here is what she had to say about her experience with Study Abroad and hopefully this will give you some insight on what these classes are like and help you decide whether or not studying abroad is something you’d potentially want to do.
“Why did you want to take a Study Abroad course?”
As soon as I took my first tour of Rutgers–Camden when I was a senior in high school, I was told about the many study abroad programs that we offered. After hearing about what they entailed and included, I knew it was something I needed to experience in my time at Rutgers–Camden. I love to travel and I had yet to actually travel outside of the U.S. I figured this course would be an amazing first opportunity to get out of the country, combined with learning about material I’m passionate about, all the while earning credits toward my major. I liked that a lot of the classes met on campus all semester and then would go for a one-to-two week trip on spring break or after the semester ended. Personally, this seemed more realistic for me than going abroad for a whole semester and being gone for many months at a time.
“Why did you choose Belgium and France?”
I chose Belgium and France mainly because of the course that was offered for those destinations. The class was a psychology class, which would benefit my Health Science major and my Psychology minor and that was awesome for my transcripts. It was even more of a plus that I’d get to fulfill such a bucket-listed trip as going to Paris! It was somewhere I had always dreamed of going. I also grew such an appreciation for Belgium’s beauty and culture, which exceeded my expectations. The trip was everything I could have wanted all around, between both the academic approach and the fun of it all.
“What was your course called and what did you learn in relation to the trip?”
The course was called “The Psychology of Eating.” In this class we discussed a lot about food choice, cultural eating habits/traditions, health, obesity, eating disorders, body image, dieting, etc. I think it was perfect for us to study abroad in Belgium and France because they are both classic food-influenced cultures and they have a lot of amazing dishes they’re known for, although they have much lower rates of obesity than the U.S. does. We got to see how they eat and what they eat in comparison to our country’s rituals. Seeing cultural differences up-close and in-person really expands your perspective of how different life is all around the world.
“How did you finance the trip and do you feel as though it was manageable?”
I financed the trip by saving up my own money and paying for it flat out on my term bill, separate from my student loans. It was a lot of work to save the money, of course, but it was definitely manageable, especially with the help of Rutgers–Camden. The offices are very accommodating throughout the process and easy to contact. They offer payment plans and financial aid (grants and/or loans) will cover the cost of the trip just as it normally would for your regular tuition. Rutgers–Camden also gives out scholarships for study abroad classes and I was fortunate enough to earn one that covered some of my trip!
“Do you feel as though the cost of the trip was worth all of the things you got to do because of it?”
I feel that the course was actually such an affordable price for the things it included. The direct flights alone are worth a lot of money, but the trip’s cost also covers your hotel room(s), train(s) from one country to another, major planned events, breakfast every morning, two group dinners, buses to-and-from each of the planned activities every day, and much more. I think that if I would have tried to plan this trip out on my own and booked everything that the school did for us, I would have ended up having to pay so much more than I did through the Learning Abroad program.
“What planned activities did you do with your classmates there?”
Every single day we had at least one activity planned, usually two, but sometimes even three. In Belgium we went to Mini Europe, Concept Chocolate, Brewery Cantillion, and took multiple walking tours through Grand-Place (Grote Markt), which had many shops, restaurants, and beautiful architecture. In France we went to the Louvre, Museé d´Orsay, the Eiffel Tower, La Cuisine Paris pastry cooking class, Seine River Cruise, Monet’s Garden, Moulin Rouge, Notre Dame, and Luxembourg Gardens. These were just the activities that were planned. We also had the chance to do much more on our own. I am so grateful that so much was packed into our itinerary because we were able to make the most out of the time we were given.
“Can you briefly describe the highlights of your trip?”
Some of the many highlights of my trip would include making chocolate at the Belgium Chocolate Factory, looking over Paris from the second floor of the Eiffel Tower, drinking expensive complimentary champagne at the Moulin Rouge, meeting a helpful and personable German woman in Versailles who shared a lot of her personal stories, and also making best friends with classmates on the trip who I continued to stay in touch with since returning from the trip.
“Would you recommend the Learning Abroad program to incoming undergraduate students?”
Yes, 100%! I would recommend any-and-everyone at Rutgers–Camden to take at least one learning abroad trip because they benefit each person in different ways, no matter your interests are or what your major is. In fact, whenever I’m giving a tour as a Raptor Ambassador on campus, I always go out of my way to inform potential students and their families about the Learning Abroad classes offered on campus, since that’s how I originally found out about the opportunity over two years ago. I like to tell my personal story and how much I cherish the experience I was so lucky to have.
