The Independent Voice of Southern Methodist University Since 1915

The Daily Campus

The Daily Campus

The Independent Voice of Southern Methodist University Since 1915

The Daily Campus

The Independent Voice of Southern Methodist University Since 1915

The Daily Campus

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Brian Richardson, Contributor • March 28, 2024
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Students look to alternative abroad programs

Annie Byerley, a junior from Houston, studies art history at Southern Methodist University. But for now she is taking time away from Dallas to pursue her studies in Mysore, India.

“I came to India because I wanted culture shock,” said Byerley through an e-mail interview. Unlike in Europe, Byerley says she is often the only white person in a restaurant or grocery store.

Byerley is one of a number of SMU students deciding to study abroad with other organizations such as Semester at Sea or AIFS, The American Institute for Foreign Study. These students often choose other programs simply because the country they want to visit isn’t offered through SMU.

SMU currently offers 24 study abroad and exchange programs to 13 countries including Japan, China, Australia, France and Spain. But many students want to go elsewhere.

Because external programs aren’t run through SMU, the Study Abroad Office doesn’t know how many study with other programs. There are approximately 450 students that study abroad each year through SMU; 300 of those students study abroad in the summer.

“We continue to evaluate new programs and locations so that we can better serve the needs of our students,” said Mary Beth Lewis, director for Study Abroad, which is currently adding two new summer programs.

The new programs feature Russian culture and language courses in Moscow and business and engineering courses in Monterrey, Mexico. The Study Abroad Office is also expanding its Australia program, which will now be available for the fall 2007.

Despite the addition of two new programs, SMU still has a limited number of destinations, most of which are in European countries.

“Determining program locations involves a variety of factors, the most important being safety,” said Lewis, who adds that safety of students is the top priority.

However, students are finding alternatives such as Semester at Sea, a program that provides a shipboard academic experience while student travel the globe.

“It was by far the best thing I’ve ever done in my entire life,” said Matthew Bengloff, a senior who studied with Semester at Sea in the spring of 2006.

During his time abroad, Bengloff studied in 10 different countries including Venezuela, Brazil, South Africa, Mauritius, India, Burma, Vietnam, Cambodia, Hong Kong, China and Japan.

Even with interested students like Bengloff and Byerley, the Study Abroad Office has difficulty creating new programs due to lack of student interest, which happened with the Moscow program last summer.

“When a new program is offered, it usually takes a while for it to become well known by students,” said Lewis, who adds that the Suzhou program was once relatively unknown, but last summer filled to capacity. Lewis says the SMU-in-Moscow program will have the same success.

Still, SMU study abroad programs offer something that most programs can’t: guaranteed transfer of all credits. Because students studying abroad with SMU are taking courses through SMU, all credits are shown as SMU credits. In other programs, credits, if accepted, are taken as transfer credits only.

Students wishing to transfer credits must meet with their department and often specific professors in order to find courses that are equivalent to those offered by SMU. Byerley said she had no problem getting credit for her Introductory Hindi class, since it was also offered at SMU, but classes like Indian Culture and Civilization were a bit harder. Still, some courses like Intensive Sitar Study won’t transfer at all.

“Every credit that won’t transfer is absolutely worth it. It’s wonderful to have this kind of academic freedom,” said Byerley.

Yet academic freedom comes at a price. Byerley, an SMU Dean’s Scholar, did not receive any scholarship for her study abroad through the University of Iowa, nor did Bengloff, a Presidential Scholar, for his Semester at Sea.

“SMU scholarships and financial aid do, generally, apply to SMU abroad programs,” said Lewis, who adds that students should consult their financial counselor to determine the specifics of their own situations.

Two of the most prestigious scholarships on campus, Presidential Scholars and Hunt Scholars, also cover study abroad through SMU. Students in each program are eligible to receive travel expenses and fees for study abroad, an opportunity that many can’t pass up.

“I want to study abroad with SMU this summer either in Oxford or in Italy,” said Bengloff.

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