Mount Holyoke College :: Study Abroad

Each year more than 200 Mount Holyoke students spend a semester or a year studying abroad. Whether you are interested in field studies, language immersion, or a traditional classroom experience, study in another country and culture will open new perspectives on yourself and your sense of place in the world.

Once you have done some of this preliminary thinking and research, you may also call x 2072 to make an appointment to meet with Joanne Picard, Dean of International Studies (for study in Asia and the Pacific, Europe, or Latin America) or Jale Okay, Director of International Experiential Learning (for study in the Middle East or Africa). If you have some ideas (even vague ideas) about your goals and how you might meet them, we will be best able to focus on your particular interests and advise you about options and next steps. Note that appointments in September are reserved for students applying to study abroad in the spring, as they will have early deadlines. Students interested in studying abroad in the fall or beyond may call after October 1 to make appointments.

	Jaqueline Burress '09 Studying abroad taught me important life skills ...the ability to use very little resources, accommodate yourself to a new culture, and how to be a good representative of your country.

	Linda Senecal '09 ...studying history in the actual place you are learning about truly brings it all to life. I didn’t feel like I really understood Julius Caesar or the reality of the Coliseum until I went to Rome and could feel their living presences there. I’ve learned so much at Mt. Holyoke, but going to Rome "actualized" all of that knowledge into a tangible body of understanding. It literally put "Rome" right into my hands.

	Heather Cohen '09 For me, the best thing about studying abroad was gaining the confidence and sense of direction I needed for figuring out life after Mount Holyoke.

	Abbie Dym '09 I gained a new perspective by living in another country. It made me question the realities of my day- to-day life, and the experience has been very valuable in evaluating and shaping my future ambitions.

	Elise Johnson '09 Studying abroad in Australia taught me how to be independent and take chances. I only had a semester to explore Australia, and I had to be willing to go outside of my “box” and venture out on my own.

	Amy Cagulada, ‘07 Litchfield, CT I hadn't even been outside of New England before I went to Denmark for study abroad! This might sound dramatic, but life did really change once I saw myself in another cultural, geographic, national environment. I love what I was doing at Mount Holyoke, but it was so rewarding to see that I could use the same skills set in a new environment and still manage my life effectively.

	Julia Dettinger, ‘07 San Diego, CA From my study abroad experience, I've learnt that when one exposes oneself to different things, one learns to imbibe more. Most importantly, you become more creative when you see what else is happening and how different it is from what you've seen and are used – and you need that creativity to produce the best kind of work in Science.

	Arti Sarma, '07 Hollywood, FL The most meaningful part of the experience is the relationships I built with people there, which gave me more than a glimpse into the love and renowned hospitality of the people in South India.

	Michelle Thorne, '07 Heidelberg, Germany My year abroad was one of the best experiences of my life. Not only did my familiarity with Germany grow, but I felt that I became integrated into the student body and life at a large, European university. I met many wonderful people, both local and fellow foreigners. My academic interests crystallized thanks to one of my courses. Also I was able to join in the ruckus of the World Cup and participate not only as a spectator, but as an employee. I learned more than I expected about Europe, living on my own, my American identity, and what an amazing place this little jewel in Saxony is.

	Catherine Fauteux, '07 Redding, CT Being abroad for a year has made me so independent: I traveled an entire week through central Europe without speaking any of its languages fluently; I learned how to cook full-course meals on a gas stove having never before been able to light a match; I know that I can go home from the Vatican to my apartment on foot in under two hours! I also learned that no matter how awesome sights, and sounds, and smells, and tastes that I experienced, they are rarely as rich as when they are shared with other people, whether newly made acquaintances or old friends visiting from home.

	Cecily McAndrews, '07 Glastonbury, CT Studying abroad has made me braver. After that, this past summer I went to Korea with a CGI internship, something I never would have tried without my experience in Paris. Today, I would not be such a strong person without my year in Paris, followed by the summer in Korea.

	Emily Johnson, '07 Portland, OR Students feel that being in the sciences doesn’t require getting to know the world. But science is ultimately about the social good. A lot of times it’s misused and mistreated and that’s why it’s important to go out and see for yourself how your work has or will have an effect on the entire world.

	Aleksandra Mihailovic, ‘07 Sibenik, Croatia After studying and doing research in Italy, I feel it’s important for MHC students to see how science is being done abroad. There’s a lot of money and funding that’s available in this country, and here at MHC, we have excellent facilities. But in many places overseas, there isn’t that much funding, and still their scientists are motivated and creative, which is quite humbling to see. It is important for us students to go abroad for such reminders, to put one’s own life into perspective.

	Heidi Roop, ‘07 Appleton, Wisconsin Vietnam was a real growing experience for me. I lost my Grandmother while I was there and leaving Vietnam and returning again after such a tremendous loss was incredible. It made me appreciate Vietnam in a different way, look at it with new eyes while I gained a new appreciation for home and all of the opportunities I have been afforded thus far in my life.

	Puja Deverakonda, ‘07 Herndon, VA Towards the end of my sophomore year, I had begun to question whether or not International Relations was truly my interest. But applying everything I had learned about global politics to an entirely different context, and viewing it from a Chinese lens, rejuvenated my interest in my major.

	Thea Youngs, ‘07 Penacook, NH While abroad, I had to adjust to everything taking much longer than it would at Mount Holyoke, and life moving at a slower pace, teaching me an invaluable lesson in patience. Coming back to MHC after a year, I find myself trying to be more balanced in my life than I was before I left, and this is thanks, no doubt, to the life I led in England.

	Grace June Kim ‘08 Bronx, NY I advanced as a human being in so many ways as I was living abroad: How to live independently in an apartment, negotiating culture shock, adapting to a new lifestyle, developing cultural intelligence, progressing significantly in French. I also learned that the world is a much smaller place nowadays and we need to be conscious of a growing global community.

	Erin Coates ‘08 Portland, Maine It was very eye-opening to learn to communicate with people from a culture other than mine and with another language, and at the same time be respectful of them. Academically, I learned a lot, but I have also discovered a lot about myself, the world and how I want to live in it, about my relationships with people. Now I definitely have a direction in my life and more passion for my interests. And I have acquired a useful skill: safe traveling.

	Emily Goldstein ‘07 Wayland, MA Going to Ireland is the best thing I ever did, mainly because I really got to know myself. I found out I could rely on myself to deal with anything that came along. And I got better at picking various ways of interacting with people. It was really nice exploring a new culture, while still being in a sort of familiar place since in Ireland they speak the same language. It was really cool to see familiar things in a different way!

	Amberle Fant ‘08 Madbury, New Hampshire I have learned to take things as they come, live more in the moment and take advantage of all opportunities. For example, the opportunity arose to speak at the American Chamber of Commerce in Copenhagen, so I grabbed it and had the honor to speak there. I realized that I really want to work and live abroad after graduation. I like speaking and interacting with people from different cultures. I have a lot to teach them and they have a lot to teach me.

	Other students include the following: Morgan Trujillo Jacqueline Paz-Cedillos