Picture yourself here! Yesterday your host mom taught you how to cook Frikadeller meatballs, the Danish national dish. Paired with some potatoes and creamy cabbage –and you had prepared lunch for the entire family! It’s been a fun, easy-going life for you the moment you arrived in Copenhagen. At the Danish Institute for Study Abroad, you’ve made tons of friends with international and local students. Your core course Cultural Conflict: Immigration, Integration, and Recognition takes you outside the classroom; you have the chance to work with those affected by immigration and minority life! Plus, you and your classmates are going on a class field trip to Istanbul, Turkey –there, you’ll meet with Turkish students, learn more about the “Kurdish” minority, Turkey-Armenian relations, the role of Islam and more! To further your traveling repertoire, on your typical weekends, you and a couple of friends might do something like go rock-climbing in Sweden. Other nights, you and your host family will enjoy a family dinner at one of the restaurants on the famous waterfront Nyhavn, telling jokes and stories until the wee hours of the night. Like I said, fun and easy-going, right? Why Study Abroad? Regardless of your future career choice, studying abroad will help you develop skills that are critical to a liberal arts education. Consider your value to an employer or a graduate program if you’ve: • Participated in a different educational system • Increased your proficiency in another language • Improved your critical thinking skills • Developed self-confidence and independence • Prepared for a career in an internationally competitive world Enhanced resumes and/or applications for graduate school Study Abroad in International Studies Department of International Studies ERC Admin Bldg. Suites 100-113 http://isp.ucsd.edu Programs Abroad Office International Center Second Floor http://pao.ucsd.edu/ “Last weekend, I got to observe three facets of Ghanian society: a dance club, the Miss Ghana 2004 pageant, and a family’s celebration after a babynaming ceremony. [These were] interesting for the perspective it offered on the various comings and goings of Ghanian social life!” – International Studies Major, ‘03 of Int’l Studies students who 96% took courses in their major abroad received or are in the process of receiving major credit. What are my First Steps? Attend a First Steps session Research the program that is right for you Meet with a Programs Abroad advisor Search for courses you can take abroad that may fulfill major/minor/GE requirements to add to your Academic Planning Form Meet with your major/minor advisor Meet with your college advisor Social Science Majors Who Studied Abroad FourYear Graduation Rate • 72% Social Science Majors Who Did Not Study Abroad FourYear Graduation Rate • 61%