Although the University of Mississippi is one of the smallest institutions in the Southeastern Conference, last year it boasted the second highest percentage of student body studying abroad.
From a fledgling department with no office on campus in the early 1980’s to one of the best study abroad programs in the SEC today, Study Abroad at Ole Miss has grown into a dynamic program that offers opportunities in over 50 countries—and they’re not through yet.
Study Abroad Advisor Vanessa Cook travels around the world, attending conferences and negotiating terms of exchange programs with international partners. She said when she first began going to these conferences in 2005, she had to fight even to get a meeting with administrators at the schools. Now, three years later, her schedule at these conferences is completely filled with prospective schools across the country and world that want to become a part of what Study Abroad at Ole Miss has to offer.
“Other schools see that our cost of living and our tuition is low, but we are still finding ways to get our students abroad,” Cook said. “Our students are taking advantage of opportunities, and we can be proud of them, the University, and our state whenever we go to these conferences.”
In 2006-07, 13 percent of undergraduates at UM studied abroad at least once. In 2008, Study Abroad has already seen 18 percent of undergraduates study in different countries with many more expected this fall. Cook says exchanges have been a big part of the success.
“Exchanges are such a great economical option for students. Students can participate in an exchange for the same UM tuition,” she said.
In 2001, Study Abroad at Ole Miss had 10 exchanges in place. Today those numbers have expanded to include 68 exchanges all over the world, including countries such as Argentina, Australia, China, Germany, Japan, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. During the 2008 spring semester, 84 UM students participated in Study Abroad exchanges; almost 30 more are expected to be involved in exchanges this fall.
Programs like the Lott Leadership Exchange are not only allowing UM students to partake in other cultures, but are also showcasing Oxford and the University to international students in China, Northern Ireland, South Korea, Mexico, and South Africa.
Katie Watson, a Public Policy Leadership and Southern Studies major from Louisville, Mississippi, believes studying abroad at Konkuk University in South Korea is a perfect way to study power in the global economy.
“Because the Lott Leadership Exchange offers students the opportunity to interact so closely with students from another country, it leads to a better understanding of a nation other than our own,” Watson said.
Rising UM sophomores who are selected for the program work with students from the respective countries of study, travel throughout the United States and abroad for four weeks during the summer, and complete a 3-hour course at UM the following fall semester.
“The Lott Leadership Exchange involves partnering international students with our students in an international experience. It’s a perfect way to bring the world to the University while sending the University into the world,” Cook said.
Cook said the increase in the number of students going abroad may also be attributed to the number of scholarships being utilized each year. She said a common student misconception is that study abroad isn’t affordable.
“There are plenty of grants and enough financial aid out there for anyone to study abroad. Students should talk to a Study Abroad Advisor as soon as they can. There’s a lot of money out there for study abroad and a lot of it goes unused because not many students apply. We help students do whatever it takes to get the money they need,” Cook said.
In addition to alternative loans, general office scholarships, Pell grants and grants from the government just for Study Abroad programs, Study Abroad at Ole Miss has also seen students receive competitive aid from other endowments. The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program ($1,000-$5,000 per student) and the David L. Boren Scholarship ($23,000 per student) are other scholarships for which all students are eligible.
Cook advises everyone to apply for scholarship money. At least half of the students who study abroad at Ole Miss receive aid, no matter what their financial status,” she said.
Beginning in September, upperclassmen may also begin applying for a new scholarship that will send one UM student to study at Queen’s University in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Queen’s University is a member of the elite Russell Group consortium of schools in Europe. The scholarship is valued at $17,000 and would allow a student to study abroad at one of the premier schools in Europe for the price of tuition at UM.
In addition to semester and year-long exchanges, special programs like Freshman Year Abroad are igniting high school students. UM’s Freshman Year Abroad Program allows first-year students to complete the first nine months of their UM tenure studying abroad.
“In a world where American graduates are no longer just competing for jobs with other students from the US, Freshman Year Abroad adds an international dynamic to a UM student’s degree that sets him or her apart in the global marketplace,” said Study Abroad advisor Maury Breazeale.
This fall, Study Abroad will send its first class of freshman abroad to the University of Edinburgh. Breazeale said the FYA program will expand to include The American College of Thessaloniki in Greece in 2009.
Kaitlyn Smith, one of the two students selected to participate in Freshman Year Abroad, says the opportunity to study abroad as a freshman is certainly one she will cherish.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Smith said. “I get to learn in a different way and from a different perspective. It really gives me a chance to be on my own. I can take this time to ‘grow up,’ learn to spread my wings, and find out who I am away from my family and on my own.”
Other new programs are in the works for 2009. Study Abroad will open new exchanges with Japan in the fall and hopes to offer exchanges in China in the near future. In addition to programs in London, Madrid, and Sydney, Dublin will soon be another place students may enroll in internships and receive class credit.
“Theater in Sydney,” the first short-term program in Australia for undergraduate students, is scheduled for Wintersession 2009 and will be led by UM assistant professor Carey Hanson. Students of all majors are invited to take part in the program, which will center around the Sydney Festival where music, movies, and dance take center stage.
Study Abroad is also reaching out to schools and departments on campus to provide international opportunities for their students. Four elementary education majors completed a semester-long course in which they were also able to fulfill the requirements of their practicum.
Breazeale says the much-needed program could add more locations by 2009.
“This program allows a previously underrepresented group on campus to have an amazing experience while learning abroad,” he said.
Both Cook and Breazeale graduated from UM and both studied abroad during their time at Ole Miss.
“Studying abroad gives you a different outlook on how to communicate and interact with people,” Cook said. “In every interview I’ve ever had I have immediately been asked about my study abroad experience. It got me noticed.”
Breazeale says that in a perfect world all University students would study abroad.
“A study abroad program instills confidence, composure, and self-reliance. It teaches you invaluable lessons about tolerance, open-mindedness, and the importance of diversity. Walking into a job interview with a resume that includes a study abroad experience gives you a clear advantage over your peers.”
For more information on Study Abroad at UM or to check out the redesigned Study Abroad website, go to www.outreach.olemiss.edu/study_abroad.
