Imagine walking by the Thames River on your way to class or passing the Eiffel Tower on your way back. For a rapidly increasing number of students, this dream becomes a reality when they go abroad. According to a Vistawide Poll in 2004 of American students, there has been a 250 percent increase in study abroad participation over the last decade. Hopkins' response to this ubiquitous trend has been the establishment of a new Center for Study Abroad in Levering Hall.
Lori A. Citti, who recently replaced Ruth Aranow as the new coordinator of study abroad, reports that due to the increasing popularity of study abroad programs, the new office will be better suited to help both students and faculty through the application process.
"Students and faculty can come to get information, consult with me, share their concerns, set up advising appointments and a host of other services that will make the international programs and study abroad options more accessible," Citti said.
Currently the Center for Study Abroad is located on the third floor of Garland Hall, next to the Career Center and Office of Academic Advising.
Junior Sarah Ratzenberger, who plans to study in France in the spring, remarked that despite the smaller space, the application process has been fairly smooth. "Unless you are extremely organized, it can become complicated and hectic," she said.
Ratzenberger explained her motivation to study abroad was to experience life in Europe and improve her language skills. "The most challenging part of the process is the actual finding of study abroad programs that fill your interests. Also coordinating Hopkins with the outside university, communicating with the Study Abroad Office, and getting a visa, are all difficult tasks."
Ratzenberger's concerns are echoed by other students who have studied abroad in the past. Multiple students have expressed discontent with the process in the past, citing that the University was uncooperative as they struggled to fill out the proper paperwork and obtain visas.
For the last 17 years, study abroad was coordinated by Ruth Aranow in the office of Academic Advising and by faculty in departments that sponsor Hopkins programs abroad. Citti was hired in August as the Director for Study Abroad for undergraduates in both schools.Previous to joining Hopkins, Citti has been active in academia as a faculty member in Russian history, and as an administrator for overseas programs for over 15 years. Her previous position was as deputy director of International Programs at Georgetown University.
"I was inspired to take the position at JHU because of the opportunity to work with faculty and students to develop and explore new options for international study, especially in the sciences and engineering," Citti said. "It is my hope that the Center for Study Abroad and my position will provide much needed support to faculty and students in the areas of advising, safety and emergency response, program development, and evaluation."
"In the few weeks that I have been at JHU, students have said that they really need initial guidance sorting through all the options that exist for study abroad, especially if they are concerned about how the coursework with transfer back to Hopkins or how it will affect their plans for graduate school, medical school, law school and graduation," she added.
There are three hundred Hopkins students currently abroad, and the numbers grow annually. Thus facility and accessibility are two key objectives for the new center. "We hope to develop a rich, deeply rewarding set of options that complement students' academic programs, and we are looking at programs of all durations to make study abroad accessible to a greater number of undergraduates." Citti said.
"The design of the new Center for Study Abroad is still in the planning stages, but will prospectively be open this November to students and faculty. At this time, Dean Burger is forming a Faculty Advisory Committee for Study Abroad, and the study abroad office will work very closely with this new committee as we look at where JHU is and where we want to be in the future."
As Citti stated at a recent information session, the international education system is undergoing many significant changes as a result of more resources. "The experience of learning, living and adapting to a different academic system and culture has become a necessary life skill," she said.
