BGSU Education Abroad offers students life-changing experience outside the U.S.

Story by: Nick Piotrowicz | Design by: Josie Jonckheere '20 | Photos by: Craig J. Bell | Video by: Justin Camuso-Stall '14

A journey across the world begins with one meeting at Bowling Green State University. 

For many BGSU students, attending one simple information session about education abroad often changes their lives – the start of a journey that introduces them to new cultures, expands their horizons, boosts their confidence and gives them invaluable experiences before their college graduations. 

Students from all majors, backgrounds, income levels and career aspirations study abroad during their studies at BGSU because the experience can – and is – tailored to each individual.

An education abroad experience is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for many students that becomes an imperative part of their journey at BGSU, ranked the No. 1 college in Ohio for student experience.

No matter one’s future plans, studying abroad can infuse any college career with a sense of adventure. 

For Dr. Susana Juarez ’96, the resident director for the BGSU study abroad program in Spain, seeing the metamorphosis of students while they are studying outside of their normal surroundings is one the great joys of the program.

“They might come from little towns all around Ohio, but they leave as worldwide citizens,” Juarez said. “They return home knowing how to travel, how to do things on their own – they are so autonomous, independent and grown up. 

“They mature here: They become women and men of the world with open minds who are sure of themselves.”

Experiential Learning

Studying abroad usually turns into a transformative experience that often changes the course of a student’s life. 

Often, when students have studied abroad, they return to campus full of enthusiasm for seeing even more of the world after graduation. 

For Cherylle Dave, a BGSU student from Stow, Ohio, majoring in communications and minoring in Spanish, the chance to study in Spain was a chance to become fully immersed in a Spanish-speaking country while also gaining the experience of traveling somewhere new.

Like jumping into a pool, the best way to apply classroom teaching was to dive right into using a second language every day.

“I decided to study abroad because I love to travel, and as a Spanish minor, I knew that actually being in the country and actively speaking the language would be the best way to pick it up and learn about the culture,” Dave said. “I’ve been able to travel to a few different countries, but living here is so much different than just being an outsider looking in. 

“It gave me so much more world perspective and opened my eyes to different cultures and how different parts of the world function so differently than the United States.”

Though many students are concerned with leaving home – especially for the first time – the thrill of studying abroad and learning in real time keeps students highly engaged for the duration of their stay.

“A myth that I personally have not found to be true is that you become really homesick – I was so active learning new things in different parts of Spain, and I was so happy,” said Noah Kovin, an international business major from Waterville, Ohio. “Even though I did miss my family, I was never burdened with homesickness.”

Contrary to a common misperception, BGSU students often find that studying abroad is typically financially comparable to their tuition at home.

BGSU offers two European programs – study abroad programs in Salzburg, Austria, and Alcalá de Henares, Spain – that are coordinated by a BGSU faculty member and through which students take BGSU courses and receive BGSU credits. Both are available for fall semester, spring semester, summer session or a full academic year. 

The programs are both a study abroad opportunity and uniquely BGSU – designed for Falcons and by Falcons. 

Director of International Programs and Partnerships Dr. Tracey Hidalgo said the two programs often prove to be a major milestone for the BGSU students who choose them.

“Studying abroad in Austria or Spain allows students to develop diverse viewpoints and approaches to critical thinking and problem solving while also helping them develop their independence and adaptability in a safe environment," Hidalgo said.

In addition to the two BGSU programs, students may choose to study through an exchange program, through which they remain a full-time student, pay BGSU tuition and fees and use their financial aid package, yet still receive the immersive experience of a new academic setting in a different country.

The process of studying abroad comes with its challenges, particularly for younger or inexperienced travelers, but no matter where in the world a student opts to go for their education abroad program, BGSU faculty and staff are there to help.

Whether a student needs guidance on how to explore an unfamiliar country, BGSU staff are in place to make sure each student has a great experience while they are away from home.

“I couldn’t have been more supported by the BGSU team,” Kovin said. “I remember when we arrived at the airport, I hadn’t met Magda (Gallinat) or Susana, the directors here, and they immediately knew who we were and made us feel like their children. That bond is very powerful.”

Something for everyone

Students choose to study abroad for a multitude of reasons, including sharpening their foreign language abilities, experiencing new cultures, meeting new people, improving interpersonal skills and applying their BGSU classwork directly to a fast-moving environment in which they learn by doing.

The experience of trying something radically different often produces a tangible benefit to students, who are rewarded with the confidence to know they can try and succeed, even in intimidating circumstances.

Before she was the resident director for the BGSU study abroad program in Spain, Juarez found herself in the exact same position as many of the current students studying abroad – trying something new in a foreign land. A native of Guadalajara, Spain, Juarez came to the U.S. in 1995 to study at BGSU.

“It was my first time outside on my own and I was terrified, and that is exactly what gets me to understand my students when they tell me they’re homesick and missing their pets or their friends,” she said. “I totally get what they mean because I went through that.”

Day by day, Juarez made friends, grew comfortable with her surroundings, experienced academic success and became shaped by the experience, all hallmarks of the two BGSU programs through which students learn in a new place.

“The jewels of the program are service learning and internships,” Juarez said, noting that students have the chance to teach English, network with Spaniards from all backgrounds, learn about Spain and advance professionally – all in one study abroad experience.

“That is just so rewarding to the students, to the community and to me, who created this program based on what I learned during my time at BGSU.”

Dr. Ivett Guntersdorfer, the director of the American Year Abroad Program, said the real reward for education abroad is the confidence to meet challenges that come with acclimating in a new country.

"It’s not the language knowledge, it’s not the beautiful buildings, it is really the self-confidence and the joy of life that they have by just feeling that they mastered something," she said. "They know they can master something else again, they can meet challenges and they can find the solution if they meet challenges. This is what study abroad gives them, really.” 

Many BGSU students gain their first experience traveling outside of the United States through a faculty-led study abroad program, which range from one to 10 weeks and occur during summer sessions, spring break or winter break. 

The programs vary from year to year, though BGSU typically sponsors several programs in a variety of countries throughout the world. Each individual faculty-led study abroad program is built with and through the BGSU Office of EAIP, and students who opt for a faculty-led program receive BGSU credit and are registered under a BGSU course number. 

Further, BGSU maintains a number of officially affiliated programs, including the University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC); Academic Programs International (API); the American Institute of Foreign Studies (AIFS) and International Studies Abroad (ISA), among others. 

Because BGSU is a member of the Ohio International Consortium, BGSU students have the option of studying in 42 countries while still using their federal and state financial aid. 

Additionally, students are encouraged to explore the BGSU searchable scholarship guide, many of which are specifically designed for study abroad students. 

While Falcons have a buffet of options from which to choose, Hidalgo said students from all types of study abroad experiences return to Bowling Green with a tangible sense of personal growth: They tried something new and challenging, and learned in the process. 

“Students are thrilled to have the opportunity to learn and grow in a global setting because travel sparks their excitement and broadens their perspectives," Hidalgo said. "Students often come back to campus with the experiences they have had and are looking forward to their next adventure."

Dr. Mason Wirtz ’19 ’20, a two-time BGSU alumnus who is now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Salzburg, said studying abroad was an invaluable experience during his college career.

Regardless of profession, careers are often filled with new challenges to be navigated – something study abroad students are forced to do each and every day as they learn about a new culture.

“That is the case in so many careers: you have to be resilient and stress-tolerant, and those are things you are forced to learn in study abroad,” Wirtz said. “There’s no way to get around in a foreign country without being able to roll with the punches, take things as they come and build up a certain stress tolerance. In that case, study abroad was a better teacher than any classroom could have been.

“It's overall an extremely enriching process that shapes your career and the rest of your life.”

From the very first information session to working with advisors to actually landing in a new country, BGSU supports study abroad students as they challenge themselves in a new learning environment.