Are you tired of hanging out in Memphis? Are you interested in visiting other countries? Eating foods you can’t pronounce?
Then you should think about applying to study abroad through the International Student Exchange Program at The University of Memphis. The program enables students to participate in exchange opportunities in countries all over the world for a summer, semester or even a full academic year.
Brad Simpson, a senior in sociology, spent nine months in Seto, Japan, at Nagoya Gakuin University studying Japanese to fulfill a foreign language requirement for his major.
“There was absolutely nothing about the program I did not enjoy,” Simpson said.
“It made me realize that there is more to the world than what we see here in the United States.”
Through the International Student Exchange Program, students can travel to Asia, Australia, Europe and Central America to study in their chosen fields. However, the trip can be rather costly.
First, the student must pay the International Exchange application fee of $350. Second, for the same amount it costs to attend The U of M and live on campus, students can live in a dorm in a foreign country and attend any school that participates in the program.
The student is also responsible for purchasing round-trip airfare, a passport, an International Student Identity Card ($25) and food, which is paid for in advance and then distributed once the student is in the host country.
Students who are serious about applying to study abroad should turn in their applications to the International Affairs office by Dec. 15 of the year before they plan to go.
Scholarships are available to full-time undergraduate students with a minimum GPA of 3.25 who have completed at least 45 credit hours. Simpson, who was awarded a scholarship through the school, said the scholarships are competitive but attainable.
“I’m not a genius or anything, but I got one,” Simpson said. “It depends on your major and where you want to go and all that.”
The deadline for scholarship applications is Oct. 1st for spring applicants, and March 1 for summer and fall applicants.
Financial aid is also available for students who qualify, according to The U of M International Programs website.
To obtain credit for classes taken overseas, students must coordinate the course credit with an academic adviser, and The U of M has the final say in whether a course receives credit.
When planning a trip abroad, language proficiency requirements must be evaluated. Simpson had already taken several classes in Japanese before he traveled to Seto, but he admits he was not “extremely proficient” in the language.
“It was very easy to mix up the words at first,” Simpson said, “but just speaking to the people over there helps to improve that.”
Studying abroad involves more than taking courses at a foreign university. Simpson’s scholarship required him to participate in some volunteer work off of his campus, including volunteering in an elementary school’s field day activities.
“Along with some exchange students from Uzbekistan, China and Australia, I competed in some of the relay races with the kids. They all wanted to know if I knew Mark McGwire,” Simpson said, laughing.
Simpson also worked for two weeks as an intern at the Seto International Center, teaching English to local citizens free of charge.
Simpson said the only thing he missed while in Japan, besides his mother, was American food.
“You have no idea how weird ‘American’ food is in other countries,” Simpson stated. “And Mexican. The selection is pretty thin — unless you’re Japanese.”
