Seeing the World One City at a Time!

London's Big Ben

When I came to Fordham, I had never left the country before. I dreamed of seeing the world, but I never expected to start traveling the world so soon. However, Fordham has allowed me to travel across continents. By the time I graduate, I will have visited four countries in three different continents. I have been able to do this by taking advantage of Fordham's Study Tour programs, which are short study abroad programs. Rather than spending a whole semester abroad, the study tours last about two weeks.

In my freshman year, I took advantage of a Gabelli Study Tour to Europe. With a group of twenty-three students, I visited London and Paris.  While in these cities, we visited several companies from a range of different business disciplines. Each visit gave us a sense of what it was like to conduct business in Europe, which was very valuable. 

The Great Wall of China!

In my sophomore year, I went on a Study Tour to Beijing. Although Beijing was certainly different than New York, I thought it was an amazing experience. We visited many of the major companies in Beijing and attended several lectures at a Beijing university. I especially enjoyed the lectures at the university since they covered historical and business topics from a very different perspective than I had ever experienced before. 

In two weeks, I will be leaving for my third Study Tour. This trip will be to Santiago, Chile. I am currently taking a Business Practices course that is preparing my class for this trip. We have been learning about the political and economic conditions that are affecting the business climate. Spending so much time preparing for this trip is really making me antsy to go! Like the previous trips, we will be visiting various businesses and attending lectures at a Chilean university in Santiago. My Spanish is pretty rusty, but hopefully I will remember enough to get me around the city (It's a good thing that the lectures and company visits will be in English!).

Fordham Rams in France

Going into my last semester at Fordham, I have looked back at all of the great experiences I have had during my time here.  One of the biggest decisions I made while being at Fordham was going abroad the spring semester of my junior year.  It took a lot of planning, but with the help of Fordham’s International Study Abroad Programs I was able to have an amazing time abroad. 

The first decision I had to make was deciding where to go.  I ended up in Paris after researching various programs and discussing all of my options during meetings in ISAP.  The office was really helpful and provided a lot of information on picking classes, obtaining a visa, and choosing a program.  I chose Academic Programs Abroad (APA) and would be taking all of my classes in French and living with a host family. 

I arrived in Paris in January and was abroad until June. I can’t believe it has already been a year since I left! It was an amazing experience.  Living with a host family and talking classes in French was a lot of hard work at times, but I feel like I was able to learn so much.  Paris was a great city to explore for the semester.  I felt prepared to take on another city after having explored New York City for a few years. 

Fordham friends and I at Abbey Road in London

In addition to Paris, I was able to travel around France and Europe visiting other friends who were also abroad at the time.  I visited Fordham friends in London, a friend from home in Florence, and met friends for a weekend in Barcelona.  It was an incredible experience to see so many different cities, museums, and eat tons of delicious foods.  It was sad to miss out on a semester of Fordham activities, but I am so glad that I was able to make study abroad a part of my Fordham experience!  

Summer in Paris

View from the dorms in the Latin Quarter

This summer I studied abroad for 6 weeks in Paris, which was an experience that was all that I could have wanted yet could have never expected.  As a French minor, I felt that it was necessary to take what I had learned inside the classroom and apply it to the real world.  This desire was definitely fostered by Fordham’s mission to educate the whole person where learning is not confined within the walls of a classroom.  With the help of the Office of Study Abroad as well as guidance from faculty in the French Department, I found the program that was right for me.  During my 6 weeks I took 2 classes – French Culture through Cinema, and Art History – that would transfer back at Fordham as 8 credits towards my minor.  After months of finding the perfect program and restless nights leading up to my departure, I finally arrived in the city of light!

My first, and one of my favorite memories of my summer abroad was my first French Ferris wheel ride.  In “Les Jardins de Tuileries,” the garden beside “le musée de Louvre” has a small carnival that opens each morning and closes at dusk.  I was so surprised to see such a carnival with games, fun houses, slides, a giant Ferris wheel, and flying swings, right beside one of the world’s most impressive art museums!  On my first full day in Paris, I went along with several of my new friends in my program to ride the Ferris wheel, where we were able to look over the entire city of Paris.  It was a truly breathtaking moment as I was taken completely by surprise at my first introduction to this magical city.

Views from the Ferris Wheel!

Caught the sunset on the London Eye

Throughout the trip I was required to visit museums such as the Louvre, Marmotton, D’Orsay, Pompidou, and Rodin for my Art History course as well as watch classic and contemporary French films.  I even was able to visit the quant city of Chartres which houses one of the oldest Catholic Cathedrals, and even went to London for a weekend! After studying movements from neoclassicism to post-modernism, training my ear to understand the countless films I had to watch, and enjoying the Parisian ambiance, I felt by the end of the trip that I could have stayed there permanently.  This is the power of expanding your global network!

I recommend anyone to study abroad and make the experience their own because it can truly be life changing!  

A video taken from Bastille Day, France's Independence Day

Study Tours with Fordham!

On every campus tour I went on during my college search, I heard about the study abroad opportunities that the school offered. However, I knew that it was pointless to get excited about the study abroad options since my parents were completely against the idea of me leaving the country for a full semester. When I heard about Fordham's Study Tour options, however, I finally found my opportunity to study abroad! 

Fordham offers many Study Tours throughout the year for all different subject areas. The Study Tours vary in length, but they are shorter versions of studying abroad while still counting for course credit. These Study Tours usually take place over the Winter, Spring, and Summer breaks. Many of the Study Tours fulfill core and major requirements. This means that you get to see another part of the world while still staying on track with your studies!

The British Crown Jewels

I have participated in an International Business Study Tour to London and Paris, and I am participating in another one to Beijing next month! I absolutely loved my Study Tour to London and Paris. It was an amazing learning opportunity both about international business and the local cultures of London and Paris. I am really looking forward to experiencing Chinese culture and business in Beijing next month! I am taking some basic Mandarin classes to prepare...hopefully they help!

I also have friends who have participated in some other really fun Study Tours. 

One of my friends took an International Finance course in Turkey over Spring break. He actually loved it so much in Turkey that he is planning on spending all of next semester there on a semester-long study abroad opportunity. 
  
Another offering that my friends are taking advantage of is through the Theology department. In July, the Theology department is running a two-week Reformation Texts Study Tour to Italy, Germany, and Switzerland. This Study Tour also counts for a Sacred Texts & Traditions core requirement! 

We climbed the Eiffel Tower!

I have only highlighted a few of Fordham's many Study Tour options, but they are really great opportunities for students. For me, they allow me to study abroad on shorter trips so that my parents are willing to let me experience studying abroad. For my friend who participated in the International Finance Study Tour, he was able to decide whether or not Turkey was where he wanted to spend an entire semester. Many of my friends, however, just hear about an awesome Study Tour that is being offered and decide to take the course. 

I know that my experience with Study Tours has been amazing, and I would definitely recommend it to every student who comes to Fordham!