Collegiate Times

While young Dominican students prepare for classes, some wander out to the well to fill a cup of water to share with classmates. Others wait in line to use the school’s lone outhouse bathroom — this was one of the many sights Addie Jones, a senior geography major, encountered while studying abroad last spring in the Dominican Republic.

Jones travelled to and studied in the Dominican Republic through Virginia Tech, and other students have the same opportunity, and more. The upcoming Education Abroad Fair, which takes place next Wednesday, Sept. 21, on the Drillfield, will provide students with information on the study abroad options.  

And the Dominican Republic isn’t the only location students can visit — there are a plethora of countries where students interested in going global can go to. Jones said there are opportunities for almost everyone. 

“That was one of the cool things about the program I was a part of — it was able to meet everyone’s needs,” Jones said.

Jones lived at resort called the Punta Cana Ecological Center and took a wide range of courses, including sociology, Spanish and geography of medicine. Aside from taking courses, Jones said she spent her time absorbing the culture and creating relationships with locals. 

“I tell people I gained a Dominican soul because we met Dominicans and got to know them,” she said.  

However, Elizabeth Kiefer, a senior history major, was exposed to a much different culture when she studied abroad in Sheffield, England last spring.

Kiefer took many courses toward her major, but while the workload was similar, she noticed a major difference in a student’s responsibility in England’s university system.

“It is so much more about what you do there,” Kiefer said. “(For) the final (exam) you are supposed to know everything and all the outside sources your teacher told you to read. For the two weeks before exams, I was pretty much locked in my room studying.”

Although her classes demanded more individual responsibility, Kiefer said the time commitment was not much different than that at Tech. However, she said the class sizes in England were smaller and more intimate, allowing her to get to know her classmates and professors better. 

“They did a lecture and a seminar, and the seminar was about twelve people and the whole class was about 30 to 40 people,” Kiefer said. “I really liked it because you got to discuss topics directly with your professor.”

Having a program that consisted of only eight people in the Dominican Republic, Jones also appreciated the opportunity for a closer, hands-on learning environment.

Jones called the type of learning experiential, in which students taught geography at nearby schools, where there was a dense population of Haitian refugees. 

Jones also took four major trips while abroad, many of which were tied into her classes. For her history trip, Jones explored local waterfalls with her professors and classmates. Kiefer also did additional traveling. Her university had a 25-day break during April, giving her the opportunity to explore England, Spain, Italy and Germany. 

To learn more about potential study abroad opportunities, head to the Drillfield next Wednesday 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Additional information is also available at the Office of International Research, Education and Development, which is located on Prices Fork Road, and on its website, EducationAbroad.vt.edu.

A version of this article appeared in the Sep 17 issue of the Collegiate Times.