By ANGIE EARP
BYU Study Abroad has programs all over the world. Some students decide to go for their major, but some students go for the experience of studying in another country.
“It’s really to provide the international outlook. We’re the doors to the outside world,” said Bruce Rands, Study Abroad programs assistant.
Some programs offer general education classes, some focus on a particular major and some focus on a language.
The regular London program is very competitive because it offers many general education classes, Rands said.
Emily Lind, a senior from Alpine, majoring in English teaching, went to London during Fall Semester 1996.
“I love British literature, and so I wanted to see (the places) all these authors I liked were writing about and that was the best way to do it,” Lind said. “Every week we went someplace new. I got to see places like the west coast of England, which was incredible — King Arthur country, and we went up north to Scotland.”
The other London program focuses on theater. According to the Theater in London brochure, “Classes will focus on Shakespeare and the history of British drama, but the center of the experience will be attending plays.”
The regular London program is offered during Fall and Winter Semesters and Spring and Summer Terms. The theater program is only offered in Spring Term, Rands said.
Anthropology students can benefit from Study Abroad in Africa offered in Spring 1998. Students will live in a tribal setting among the group of OvaHimba. The students will do ethnographic research on the topics of kinship and family relations, morality and religion, folklore and classifications.
The second part of the trip will involve visiting various historical sites in Namibia to understand the process and impact of German colonization, according to the Africa brochure.
The Vienna program focuses on the German language. Students who desire to go to Vienna must take German 202 or an equivalent. According to the Vienna brochure, “Students will be immersed with the language and leave Vienna with a heightened understanding of Austria’s place in the world of European history and contemporary affairs.”
Courtney Glenn, a senior from Corvallis, Ore., majoring in family science, went to Vienna during Fall Semester 1996.
“In Vienna we got to live with a family, so we really got to learn what they were like. It was a smaller group so we got to travel more than other (programs),” Glenn said.
Students must go through an application process for each program. Most students that go are at least sophomores because the directors want to make sure students have already adjusted to college life in Provo before they go overseas.
During the application process, directors consider grade point average, recommendations from professors and a personal essay. The directors also conduct a personal interview with each applicant.
