Dustin Smith
Staff Writer

The University of La Verne offers students a chance to break from the norm and study abroad.

ULV works with the Brethren Colleges Abroad program, allowing students the opportunity to travel to 17 different countries, including: Australia, Ecuador, England, Germany and three different cities in Ireland.

Students can study abroad during any semester, providing flexibility for students to pick the right time to study abroad.

Many students worry about the cost of the trip which sometimes includes pricey vaccinations and costly preparations.

If students are not up-to-date on their vaccinations, there is a good chance, according to the destination, that it may cost up to a few hundred dollars for one visit to a clinic.

The safety of the trip is also a concern for some students since it’s usually the students first time flying and traveling out of the country.

The ULV Web site provides two question and answer links: one for parents, and one for students, to provide parents and students with the proper answers to the many questions that arise when studying abroad.

The 2006 January Term offered three study abroad opportunities.

Students, myself included, traveled to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands with professor of biology and biochemistry, Jay Jones, and professor and Fletcher Jones Chair of biology, Jeff Burkhart.

“With proper planning, it can be a wonderful experience” Brooke Gray, a junior biology major said. “It’s good to have an understanding of the country before you leave.”

Gray traveled to Ecuador last January interterm and received credit for Core 310 and Core 340.

The poster child for the study abroad program is junior biology major Abigail Lee.

Lee has studied abroad during the January terms to Europe, South Africa and Ecuador.

Lee said her favorite study abroad trip was to South Africa as she learned a lot more there than she would have here at La Verne.

A trip to Italy with Professor of English Kenneth Scambray and a trip to India with Steve Kinzie and Associate Professor of Religion and Philosophy Richard Rose were also offered last January term.

Applying for the study abroad program is easy and has little restrictions. Students must be a sophomore and transfer students must only complete one full semester at ULV to be considered.

Some of the programs do require a literacy proficiency evaluation to participate in the non-English speaking programs.

Students can also work with the advisors in their specific departments to decide which courses the study abroad program with applies to what they are studying.

While at the study abroad building, sophomore business administration major Andrea Orona came to drop off paper work to study abroad in Barcelona, Spain.

“[I am] really eager to go,” Orona said.

Orona said the study abroad department has been really helpful.

The study abroad program is a great way to get out and see different parts of the world and complete college coursework at the same time.
If you ever need a break from ULV, check out what the program has to offer.

The study abroad department is located at the corner of Third and “B” streets and can be visited online at www.ulv.edu/studyabroad.

Dustin Smith can be reached at dsmith9@ulv.edu.