“The Study Abroad opportunity at Guilford is like an open door, waiting for all students to just take a step forward and enter a new world.” says David Limburg, a professor of German at Guilford and faculty leader of the College’s Guilford in Munich program.
Through Guilford’s Office of Global and Off-Campus Initiatives, every year, students have the opportunity to study abroad in their country of choice. Options can range from a semester-long program to programs as short as Guilford’s three-week session.
Many study abroad programs are led by faculty, while others are not. But whichever program Guilford students may choose, Limburg and GOCI Director Sarah Munro point to the benefits of the study abroad experience.
“In my view, the best possible thing a Guilford student can do in their four years in college is to go abroad: and the longer, the more often, the better!” Limburg said in an email interview. “If you can go for a semester, do it! Sign up for one of our amazing, faculty-led three-week courses abroad in the spring. Better yet, take two or more of them, if you can!”
Students can travel to London and to various locations in Spain, Latin America, Munich and many more.
In Munich, a very popular destination for Guilford students, you could partake in activities like “Oktoberfest! Schuhplatteln (Bavarian folk dance)! Opera! World-famous art museums! FC Bayern! Döner Kebabs! Wiener Schnitzel! Bratwurst! Restaurants from every corner of the world! Public transportation! Walking and hiking! Weihnachtsmärkte! Wonderful new friends! Those are just a few of the things that await you…” Limburg said.
If you take an interest in a certain subject, then there’s something for you too. Opportunities with a focus on science include the Sustainable Food Systems program, which allows students to study animals and the environment in countries like Australia, Bhutan, Turks and Caicos, and Kenya to name a few. If you like English, St. Clare’s Oxford program offers an expansive curriculum on English literature and history.
There are many options to study outside of the U.S., but if you prefer an option closer to home, Guilford participates in a program called the Oregon Extension, in which selected students spend much of the fall semester exploring the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Southern Oregon.
As described on the Oregon Extension website, this area known for biodiversity is a setting where students “step ‘out of the current’ for an unusual semester of vigorous intellectual exploration.” Much of the program is “unplugged,” giving Guilford students the opportunity to live with little to no technology. Munro, who also serves as Guilford’s international student advisor, cites this as one of the most popular off-campus experiences for Guilford students
As college students, many are thinking about their career after college. Studying abroad can be more of a positive factor towards employment than one might think.
According to a September 2023 U.S. News and World Report article, which focused on how such experiences can benefit college students, “among the most tangible ways that students are leveraging their study abroad experiences is in their job searches. Experts and students say that when searching for employment straight out of college and lacking significant employment history, one’s broader life experiences may count more.”
If you feel timid about taking the leap to study in another country, Guilford offers many avenues of support throughout your entire process.
For GOCI Director Munro, who studied abroad at Guilford three times, “it was a phenomenal experience. It was much easier and comforting to know that I had a faculty member through the application process, during my time abroad, and when I came back, to support me,” she said.
To hear students’ perspectives on Guilford’s study abroad opportunities, check out the Guilford College study abroad website where students write and publish articles based on their experiences.
