Angelina WagnerStudying abroad can help a student gain more knowledge about a subject rather than hands-on experience. On Tuesday, Nov. 5, Dr. Anne Rowbottom, a professor and Dr. Bill Campbell, the director of the center for human communication at Manchester Metropolitan University, spoke at Cabrini about studying abroad, specifically in Manchester, England.
“Culture is to humans as water is to fish,” Rowbottom said, as she was explaining the benefits of studying abroad. “When you study abroad you understand yourself more, you get a different perspective of things, and you use theory and analysis more.”
Rowbottom and Campbell just started speaking in America about this program this year. They got to Cabrini through Rowbottom’s connection with Dr. Leonard Primiano.
Even though one may be a senior, studying abroad may benefit seniors seeing that they usually have their requirements fulfilled, and they can also go for higher degrees by research, or a master’s degree.
Manchester is an industrial city with a “massive student population.” Manchester tends to have students from Europe and South East Asia, but they get students from all over. Their libraries may not be open as late as Cabrini’s, but the pubs in Manchester can be open all night.
Studying abroad at Manchester University costs the same as it would to go to Cabrini. The students live in the halls of residence, which cost the same amount as it does to live here on campus.
These halls of residence have single rooms and the newest halls have one-suite bathrooms.
Each class is worth one unit, which is similar to two credits here, and take six units per semester. The classes are based on pass or fail, and as long as one passes the credit is received. There are no grades at the end of the class, so there is also no grade point average.
There are also very few written examinations; the courses are mostly qualitative.
One can take courses during the fall semester or the spring, but there are no summer classes. In America there are have a lot of hands-on and practice with what we learn, and at Manchester “there is knowledge and there is understanding.”
Dr. Nick Uliano, coordinator of the Study Abroad Program here at Cabrini, also spoke on Tuesday. Cabrini has Study Abroad Programs throughout the world, and a majority of these come through Cabrini’s agreement with Arcadia University.
The usual required GPA to study abroad is a 2.5. One of the newest locations that Cabrini will be offering to study abroad is Australia. Uliano said that hopefully one year from January, in 2004, one will be able to study in Australia for six months. One will spend two weeks out of these six months on a boat. A total of 15 credits will carry back and add on to credits here at Cabrini.
Uliano said that students should definitely sign up for studying abroad a year in advance, in order to get everything under control, and the best thing to do is to save money for spending. The main requirement that needs time is getting passports and official documentation.
Manchester, England is just one of the places that Cabrini offers to students who want to study abroad. Uliano said in the future Cabrini students will study abroad throughout the world in many different countries.
