BY SARAH LOFSTROM '19
On Sept. 20, the McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives hosted the International Fair, which aimed to bring together a variety of Mount Holyoke associated study abroad programs and a myriad of study abroad representatives from other countries and schools. Dean Picard, the Dean of International Studies, was there to answer questions relating to scholarships, internships, research opportunities and MHC supported exchange programs. The fair was set up in a style similar to the org and academic fairs. Rows of tables were set up in Chapin Auditorium with representatives along each table.
The room was bustling as students flooded into the auditorium to gather information about specific programs. The College’s programs include semesters in Montpellier, Shanghai and Monteverde, as well as a summer program in Beijing. Students can also participate in university exchanges at the Berlin School of Economics & Law, University of Essex, Hong Kong University, University of Kent and University of York. Students were invited to consult with Joanne Picard to discuss exchanges involving a few other universities including, but not limited to, Japan’s Women’s University in Tokyo and the University of Leipzig in Germany.
Other programs represented at the fair include the Hebrew University in Israel, the Swedish Program, the Siena School for Liberal Arts/Siena Art Institute in Italy, School for Field Studies (SFS) which has programs in Australia, Tanzania, Turks & Caicos Islands and the School of Oriental & African Studies in England. Primarily represented were those programs and schools in the UK or Europe, such as the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, a popular study abroad destination.
Zoë Barnstone-Clark ’19, who is interested in studying in Australia in the spring of her junior year, commented“It would have been helpful to have a bit more information on specific non-European schools and programs that weren’t under the overarching organizations like Arcadia and School for Field Studies, for those interested in applying directly to schools outside of Europe.”
The McCulloch Center stands by its belief in global learning as a vehicle for C.H.A.N.G.E. Their website states their goals for “cultivating global awareness, harnessing knowledge for the solution of pressing world problems, appreciating how societies respond differently to common needs, nurturing an ethic of responsibility for making the world more just and sustainable, and employing another language to communicate across cultural diversity.”
Apart from being a source of reference and support in study abroad endeavors, the Center also provides the opportunity for a number of global related events throughout the year such as the upcoming “Crafting a Career in Media” talk on Oct. 13. It also offers peer advising sessions by students who have studied abroad and have counsel to offer those who would like to study abroad. In addition to these sessions, the Center has drop-in hours and provides information sessions all throughout the year for those at all stages of the study abroad process.
Natalia Provolo ’19, who plans to study abroad somewhere in Europe where she can supplement her studies in a “new and enriching environment,” said that the International Fair “would have been more beneficial for me if I had researched programs before so I could ask the representatives specific questions. However, I received a lot of information on programs that helped me in the process of figuring out where and what exactly I want to do.”