A Reflection by Anna Cogbill

I had three goals going into this semester abroad, and I am thrilled to say I accomplished all of them. The first is a little administrative, so I’ll get it out of the way: I passed the DALF! The DALF is basically a proficiency test for the French language, and if you pass, it’s essentially global proof of proficiency at a certain level. It was hard fought, and I absolutely…

Learning and Living among History: A Reflection on my first two weeks in Trujillo, Spain by Will Spencer

It’s been two weeks since arrived in Trujillo, my Spanish home for the semester, and it feels like it was both yesterday and three months ago at the same time. I’ve learned and experienced so much but I’m still only beginning my study abroad experience. I came to Trujillo with plenty of goals but few expectations or ideas about what life was going to be like in a medium-sized Spanish…

Reflection after Semester at Sea by Chase Hirshorn

Embarking on my Semester At Sea journey, we were presented with an extraordinary opportunity—to travel from Belgium to Thailand, passing through the Suez Canal and visiting 12 diverse countries along the way. However, the course of our adventure took an unexpected turn due to an unforeseen conflict in the Middle East. Originally set to enter the Suez Canal and explore destinations like Jordan, Dubai, and India, our plans faced a…

Day in the life on Semester At Sea by Chase Hirshorn

Embarking on Semester At Sea is like stepping into a dream for any college student. The sheer awesomeness of traveling the globe on a cruise ship, hitting up three continents and thirteen ports, transforms us into true global citizens. Living among 500 fellow students and 300 staff members creates an incredible sense of community. We’re not just studying abroad; we’re coexisting, learning, and exploring together. This unique experience turns us…

Reflection by Chase Lee

I am writing this in my room, back home in the United States. It feels extremely weird typing that because I have been studying in Italy for the last four months. I am sad that my trip has ended, but I am so grateful for what this experience has given me. If I had any advice to give to future students, it would be to study abroad and don’t look back. You will only receive the opportunity once in your…

Education at Queen’s by Michelle Taylor

The education structure is a bit different at Queen’s to what I experienced at the College of Charleston. Courses at Queen’s would meet once to twice a week for lectures where a professor would stand in the front of a lecture hall and speak for several hours and meet once for tutorials which were run by TAs with smaller groups and were discussion based. This resulted in less face-to-face time…

What I Learned by Michelle Taylor

To any future study abroad students I would say the very cliche phrase: don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. You are going abroad to learn new things and have experiences you can’t have here in the States. That being said, having ties to home helped me a lot. I would set aside time each weekend to call home and I brought a couple of mementos from…

What Historical Sites or Landmarks Have You Visited and What Did You Learn? by Eva Tryon

One of my favorite parts about studying abroad in France was the ability to travel to other cities and countries. “ La Toussaint” is a holiday in France when all the schools and universities across the country get a week-long vacation, typically at the end of October. A friend from my program and I went to Italy during the break. Throughout the course of the week, we traveled to five…