Study abroad program helps students explore career interests

Although Diana Malandruccolo has bungee jumped from bridges and climbed mountains, her favorite part of her study abroad program was volunteering at a local tuberculosis hospital. 

Malandruccolo was one of many students who used study abroad to explore the world around them. About 620 students are studying abroad with the Rutgers Center for Global Education, which offers programs in every region, said Christopher Lytle, assistant director of the Center for Global Education. 

The spring and winter 2015 applications already closed on Oct. 15. The summer, fall and 2015 academic year applications are still open and are due by March 1, 2015.

Lytle said there are multiple ways of studying abroad. Students may embark on a curriculum designed for a set amount of weeks or may study for a full semester.

Students also have the option of exploring service learning, which is a combination of community service, coursework and intercultural immersion. 

“It really depends on the student and their major,” Lytle said. 

Malandruccolo, a School of Arts and Sciences senior, said she became interested in studying abroad after taking a class about contemporary issues in Southern Africa. 

“When I went into it, I wanted to do physical therapy, but while I was abroad, I did a service learning program,” Malandruccolo said.

Between seven different service focuses, Malandruccolo chose to go to a tuberculosis hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, where she worked as a teacher. She drew up her own health curriculum and shadowed an occupational therapist.

Unlike in the United States, tuberculosis is an issue in South Africa, and Malandruccolo witnessed it firsthand. 

“You can learn as much as you want, but until you see it, it changes you completely for the better,” she said. “It’s just something you have to learn outside of the classroom. Make sure you get to know the culture. Make sure you get to know the people.”

Malandruccolo now works in the marketing department of the CGE.

Lytle said early planning for studying abroad could give students an advantage. 

“If you try to do everything at the last minute, then you will be completely confronted by obstacles — like finances, course approval, getting parental approval for your decision,” he said.

Rutgers financial aid contributes to the cost of studying abroad, along with different departments of Rutgers, the host countries and associated organizations that offer scholarships to students.

The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship program will give more than 2,300 students around the nation $5,000 scholarships this academic year. The Foundation for Global Scholars also aids students interested in studying abroad. About one to five scholarship opportunities are available to students of any program, Lytle said. 

Students could find different ways to keep costs down, such as finding a club or a part-time job. They must think about how much they plan to spend as well. 

“How much traveling are you going to do? How much shopping are you going to do? How often are you going to go out?” Lytle said. 

The currency exchange rate may also affect how little or how much a student has to spend in any given country. Going to London is more expensive than some programs in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Korea, Lytle said. 

Although the humanities have had historically larger student participation in studying abroad programs, a decent number of engineering, business, communication, journalism and pre-professional students have begun going abroad. 

Caitlin Mishell spent her summer in Peru, earning nine credits within a five-week period. Mishell believes she has a leg up on other students due to her studying abroad.

“It was good to get all those credits at once,” said Mishell, a School of Arts and Sciences junior. 

Mishell observed the culture behind the tourist attractions like Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca. She also learned Quechua, the spoken language of Peru’s indigenous people.

“That was pretty cool too, because a lot of stories are told in Quechua, and the only way you can learn them is by learning the language,” she said. “I got to understand stories I wouldn’t have normally understood otherwise.”

Mishell was able to hear dialectical differences between Peruvian locals when she was immersed in the community. She recommends traveling with the goal in mind of doing and seeing as many things as possible.

“I have never seen a place with more colors in my life. Coming back to the United States was like coming back to a field of gray,” Mishell said. “It was so worth it.”