The university’s promise to give every student the chance to study outside the country became easier to keep last week when officials added an eighth study abroad destination, a semester-long program in Barcelona.
Barcelona, a Mediterranean coastal city in northeast Spain, has long attracted university students with its rich history, beaches and vibrant nightlife. But with the university launching its own Barcelona program, officials hope to expand the Study Abroad Office’s reach and encourage more students to study internationally.
Students have already begun signing up for the program, which will kick off next fall.
“We look where students are going and where the need is,” said Lisa Tenley Alton, the Study Abroad Office’s outreach specialist.
“Students went with other programs, and we wanted to provide our own program,” said Lauren Ruszczyk, a program coordinator in the office. “It has an added layer of quality and service.”
According to a study from the Institute of International Education, Spain is the third most popular destination for U.S. students studying abroad after the United Kingdom and Italy.
The Study Abroad Office tailored the program so that its academics would attract students from all fields, unlike the Maryland-in-Shanghai program which has emerged as a favorite for students interested in international business.
“It isn’t geared toward a specific major,” said Alton. “It’s an option for most students to consider.
Not even language barriers are a problem, Alton said.
“Students who never took Spanish before can take a beginner class,” she said, “It’s for everybody.”
In addition, students studying there will coordinate extracurricular activities such as volunteering and internships with a university employee stationed in the city.
Lindsay Deutsch, a junior journalism major who is studying in Barcelona, expressed enthusiasm about the university’s decision to add the program.
“It has a ton of history and art; the nightlife is great; it’s on the beach; and the weather is mild and Mediterranean,” Deutsch wrote in an e-mail. “Just getting out of the Maryland bubble is refreshing, and my life here is definitely far from what it would be on Route 1.”
Still, she is not without regrets. The Study Abroad Office did not offer the Maryland-in-Barcelona program this spring, meaning she had to plan her experience with CEA Global Education, an agency outside the university.
“I would prefer to have direct credits from my study abroad rather than transfer credit,” Deutsch said. “I really wish Maryland had offered a Barcelona program earlier.”
news@umdbk.com
