By Eliot Schiaparelli

To go or not to go? That is the question students struggle with when considering study abroad. Even once they decide to go students still have to decide where. At Fordham, one has a multitude of options: 52 countries and roughly 110 programs according to Joseph Rienti, Ph.D, director of international and study abroad programs.

He said about 47 percent of Fordham students decide to go abroad whether it is through a summer program, semester program or exchange program. Rienti encourages students to think about their career goals when making their decision.

“You really have to think about what you want to do, and that’s why we’ve structured the application around that idea,” said Rienti. “Think of it as a bridge to something rather than an end in itself.”

The study abroad application asks people to think through the academic goals, reasons for choosing a study abroad program and personal development.

Fordham itself offers programs in South Africa, Spain and the U.K.

The Fordham program in Granada, Spain is a language immersion program and the program in South Africa is service learning based. The London program has more options, as it offers both business classes for Gabelli students and liberal arts classes. It also has an internship program through which Fordham students have worked for members of Parliament and Simon and Schuster.

Of the students that go abroad, 50 percent choose to go to the UK. Erin Flynn, FCRH ’20 is currently in London. She said that so far she has visited France, Germany and Ireland, among other destinations.

“I was on the fence about going because I was scared of flying, but it was the best decision I’ve ever made,” said Flynn. “It gently forces you to get out of your comfort zone and you experience the world in a whole new light.”

The debate as to when to go abroad depends on the student. Rienti said the earliest someone can go abroad is the summer after their freshman year, but most students go abroad as juniors.

Dylan Mazzarella, GSB ’20, went to London last year as sophomore.

“Going abroad was an experience that allowed me to challenge myself while having one of the best semesters in college,” said Mazzarella. “Having never been out of the country beforehand, I was nervous to spend four months so far away from home.”

Mazzarella said the only flaw in his program was that he did not get to meet anyone who lived in London.

“I made a lot of new friends from Fordham and traveled with them but never met anyone from London, which would’ve been cool,” he said.

Nationally only 10 percent to 15 percent of students study abroad but Fordham has a goal of a 50 percent participation rate. Participation used to be between 30 and 40 percent but through an initiative from The Institute for International Higher Education, called Generation Study Abroad, Fordham has been working to improve their participation rate.

If the Fordham run locations are not right for a student, the study abroad office also offers exchange programs.

Fiona Shea, FCRH ’19, went to Paris, and the experience was very positive.

“It sounds super cliche but studying in Paris absolutely changed my life,” she said. “I studied through the Center for University Programs Abroad (CUPA) program, so I took four French classes and lived with a host family. It pushed me so far out of my comfort zone that sometimes I felt challenged or nervous.”

Shea said there are some unknowns and difficulties at times with non-Fordham programs.

For example, she said French universities do not release the classes they will be offering until two days before the semester starts, which means students can get to France and find out that the classes they want to take are not offered.

Shea said this happened to her but she still loved her experience.

Kristen Sulewski, FCRH ’20, went to Copenhagen. “The worst thing about my time abroad was probably the loneliness. Because I didn’t go to London, there wouldn’t be a bunch of Fordham kids who I already knew and I had to make new friends, which takes time,” she said. “But the best part is so hard because there were so many. If I had to pick just one, it would be the people I met.”

One piece of advice Rienti has for students is to start planning for study abroad early.

“What we tell people is any minor or major can study abroad. Some of them take a little bit more planning,” said Rienti. “What I would tell people is if you’re concerned about it and you’re doing a major that might be a little less common for study abroad, make yourself available to meet with us as well as your academic advisor.”

Another common question students have is whether to save core classes for their time abroad.

Rienti said he does not think this is necessary.

“Most core does have to be here on campus and there are some exceptions to that,” he said. “I typically wouldn’t tell people to save things. What I would do is look at the different programs and check for sure whether you can do, say, Texts and Contexts in London.”

If a student is unable or does not want to spend a whole semester away, they can head to London, Rome or Spain for the summer.
Rienti said the decision of which year to go and whether to go during a semester or in the summer is mostly a personal choice based on housing, activities on campus and even weather.

Natalie Migliore, FCRH ’20, took a class in London the summer before her junior year.

“I think the best thing about the study abroad program, especially in the summer is that you can take just one or two classes so you get really familiar with the people in your classes and what you’re learning,” said Migliore. “We did so many walking tours and went to so many exhibits and everything revolves around both the subject of the class and the city and culture.”

While the majority of students that apply to study abroad are approved to do so, Rienti recommended applying early action.

“The times that I see students not get their first choice program is a lot around timing,” he said. “So if you apply right at the deadline it might be a situation where we have to put you on the waitlist.”

He said the application cycle for spring 2020 just opened and students should be aware of an early deadline of June 30 and a final deadline of Oct. 1 for Fordham programs.

Vincent Ciulla, GSB ’21, is currently studying abroad in London.

“The best part of being abroad is definitely the ability to travel to another country every weekend,” he said. “Studying in London gives you access to inexpensive flights to so many popular tourist destinations. The only downside is that my time in London is coming to an end.”