Travel as a Student

By Marlo Wyant


All students should take advantage of travel opportunities while they are still in college. There are myriads of travel opportunities for college students that will never be encountered quite the same way again once they graduate. Unless you are like George Clooney in Up in the Air, once work begins and you are limited to just two to three weeks’ vacation time, your travel prospects become minimized. Traveling can broaden one’s cultural perspective, help learn a new language and discover interests not previously known. Whether traveling abroad or staying within the United States, there are many modes of participating in enriching experiences, many of which have scholarship and funding opportunities.

1.) Study Abroad


One of the best and more practical ways to gain extensive foreign travel experience is to participate in the study abroad program at the University of Miami or other partnering institutions of higher learning.
The University of Miami has an excellent study abroad program for students of all majors and varying language proficiencies. The U has partnerships with over 80 universities in 32 countries around the world, including Spain, the Galapagos Islands, and China. You have the option of studying abroad for a semester or up to one full year, all while gaining college credits towards your UM degree. With the world at your feet, why would you not take advantage of this opportunity? Check out the University of Miami Study Abroad Program at http://www.miami.edu/index.php/study_abroad.

Another program to consider is the Semester at Sea program by the University of Virginia. Semester at Sea is one very unique opportunity that allows college students of any major take university courses while living aboard a ship and traveling around the world. The trips can last as long as 111 days during the semester or as short as 20 days in the summer. Most recently, the Fall 2011 semester trip lasted 111 days and traveled to 14 different countries including Canada, Morocco, Ghana, South Africa, Mauritius, Panama, Vietnam and more. Check out the Semester at Sea program at http://www.semesteratsea.org.

2.) Participate in a University of Miami Intersession Trip


The University of Miami is fortunate enough to offer international travel opportunities for students during its winter and spring breaks, while providing academic credit. Accessed through the UM Study Abroad office, intersession travels have several programs open to a variety of majors. This coming semester, there are sessions held in countries like Argentina, Italy, Panama, Peru, Spain, and England. Typically these sessions only last one to two weeks but expose students to the cultural diversity of the world and also provide them with three academic credits. Check it out at http://www.miami.edu/index.php/study_abroad/programs/faculty-led/

3.) Travel with a Club or Competition

With nearly 180 clubs and organization at the University of Miami, there are ample opportunities to travel for competitions, community service projects, conferences, and sometimes for free. UM Alternative Breaks participates in community service trips each fall and spring semester to places like New Orleans, Detroit, and Los Angeles. Engineers Without Borders has had several major service project trips to Peru that were fully funded. The UM fencing club recently traveled to Philadelphia to compete in a national competition. Members of the Society of Women Engineers traveled to Chicago, Illinois for the national conference at nearly no cost and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers traveled to Anaheim, California at nearly no cost to the students.

With these eye-opening cultural experiences available, there is no reason why students should not be able to take at least one trip away from their home and the University of Miami during their student careers.

Financing your Study Abroad

Applying to the Gilman Scholarship: My journey towards Studying Abroad
By: Priyanka Surio



Namaste means Welcome in Hindi. It can also refer to the beginning of my journey as a Gilman Scholar applicant for studying abroad pursuits.

I am currently a junior pre-med student majoring in Biology with minors in Political Science, Chemistry, and Spanish. Up until this summer, studying abroad seemed like an urban legend to me because I simply did not see the availability to pursue it being a pre-med student with such rigorous and inflexible science coursework built into my four years of undergraduate study. But then the unthinkable happened; I met with my advisor and we discussed that I only had one class left to take for my pre-medical and Biology major requirements. This summer seemed perfect to go study abroad; not only would I be allowed the opportunity to explore my heritage but I would also be taking classes relevant to my minor and cultural understanding. I would be enrolled in two courses with the option of interning or volunteering in the community.

There are several courses offered through the program I am applying for that deal with contemporary and Indian society as well as political thought. Another course offered is beginning Hindi, and being half-Indian, I feel that it would be a great opportunity for me to learn my father’s language.

Only one additional obstacle still pervades in this paradise of a plan; finances. Upon meeting with the Study Abroad office I discovered the plethora of scholarship opportunities available especially for minorities with financial need. The Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship especially caught my attention because it offered scholarships not only during regular semesters, but for summer programs as well. The Gilman also targeted non-traditional study abroad majors who were wishing to travel to non-traditional places, and as an added bonus even offered extra critical language need scholarships for those studying critical need languages such as Hindi.

I had all the resources in hand like a box of nails and all I needed to do was hammer them in place to create the object of my pursuit. I had to meet with several offices on campus that helped make this happen; including the Biology Department, the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Toppel Career Center, the Study Abroad Office, and the Financial Aid Office. I had to keep regular contact with both the Gilman staff and my program of interest staff, which was helpful whenever I had concerns or questions.

The Toppel Career Center specifically helped me with organizing my resume to the experiences that would market me best, along with providing valuable feedback on my statement of purpose for the Gilman and study abroad program of interest. I have already gotten accepted to the study abroad program in India, so the only thing left to do now is wait, and hope I am selected as a scholarship recipient.

Learning Another Language and Culture Can Make the Difference

Written by Marlo Wyant

In today’s global economy, learning a second language has become increasingly important for securing positions with American and foreign-based companies. Foreign-based companies with offices in the United States, such as Deutsche Bank (DE), HTC (TW), or Michelin (FR) actively hire hundreds of Americans every year. While these companies select candidates for positions primarily based on prior work experience, they also take language heavily into account.

I had the opportunity to use my foreign language knowledge to help secure an internship at BMW Manufacturing in Spartanburg, South Carolina last summer. Although German language knowledge was not a requirement for the internship, I was able to use it to my advantage. The official language of the work place was English, however many colleagues in the office were German nationals. On occasion, meetings and casual office conversations would be conducted in German. Being able to participate in these bilingual meetings and conversations allowed me to become well-integrated into the team.

Speaking the language of the company’s country of origin not only allows you to communicate more effectively with your foreign colleagues, but it shows that you are more aware of the culture behind the company. Understanding the foreign culture can be very important when it comes to the etiquette of the workplace. Foreign colleagues might speak fluent English, but may feel more comfortable speaking to you if they know that they could also use their native language with you to fill in the linguistic gaps.

When you are applying or interviewing for a company that has significant foreign business, make sure to stress your language abilities, study abroad experiences, and participation in relevant clubs. Any connection you can make to the business culture, could be the make or break of getting hired. If you are currently a beginner at learning a language and are taking steps to achieve fluency, you can still mention this on a resume. Always: remember to never exaggerate how proficient you are in a language—the interviewer could just switch languages on you.

To get a start to your language and cultural endeavors:
1. Sign up for a foreign language class at UM, either as a full class (http://www.as.miami.edu/mll/undergraduate/courses.html)or as an independent study course (http://www.as.miami.edu/dils/)


2. Independently study a language via a program like Rosetta Stone, read literature and watch foreign language movies and shows


3. Visit the study abroad office website to see what is available at http://www.miami.edu/index.php/study_abroad

Discussion Question

Do you speak any other languages and how has it helped in your career development?

Do You Want to be an International Intern?

Trying to go abroad? Want a great position as well as ability to travel to a foreign country? Look no more because currently there are many opportunities for undergraduates to go abroad and intern at a great firms. The only difficult part of the search is weeding through the scams to find a genuine opportunity. Take it from me, I’ve searched long and hard to find that great chance to go abroad and do something different and creative with my summer.

I started out with the typical Google search “intern abroad” and “summer 2010 abroad” and these searches elicited many sites but most of them weren’t ones that caught my attention. As a typical college student who is strapped for cash, I was looking for an internship that would not cost me a couple thousands of dollars. Many study abroad trips are in the thousands and my perspective is that if someone is going to be working for a company and dedicating their time to the company, then paying a couple thousand is futile. Regardless, if interested some great sites are Intern Abroad, Transitions Abroad, Education First, and AIESEC. Plenty more can be found if one is willing to pay.

When I couldn’t find any opportunities that cost me, I thought that I should just throw in the towel and start looking for internships closer to home. That was when I was searching the UCAN website and found paid positions listed for working in Germany. My interested was once more ignited. I had half-heartedly checked the UCAN website after one of the Toppel Advisors referred me to it. I clicked on the banner on the homepage of CaneZone and it directed me to a variety of internships compiled from several universities all over the country. Not only is it a great site for internships abroad but also for internships within the United States. Other great sites listing international jobs are University of Denver Career Center, Public Policy and International Affairs Program, and JET Programme (Japanese Exchange and Teaching Programme).

When I talked to the Graduate Assistants at Toppel they directed me to other opportunities specifically for undergraduate students. For instance, teaching English abroad is very sought after. Many from foreign countries would love to learn English by a Native English speaker so that they can develop the correct pronunciation, phrases, and idioms specific to a Native English speaker. Some programs require that one is certified, usually TEFL certification, but there are some that do not require experience or certification. A good place to start the search would be Teach Abroad but be careful to weed through the positions because some you have to pay for and others require a TEFL degree.

These ideas are simply a jump-off point to help you get started on your search but much more can be found with thorough research. At the end of the day the work you put into finding these internships will pay off because it is a once in a lifetime experience and many whom I have talked to about their experiences would never change a thing about the internship. Good luck on your search!