The American University of RomeThe possibilities are limitless; students can study anywhere in the world. Study abroad is the gateway to that possibility. Without spending additional funds for both tuition and room and board, Cabrini students have the opportunity to study almost anywhere in the world.
“The opportunities available for Study Abroad are expanding,” Dr. Nicholas Uliano, coordinator of study abroad, said. “We already have an excellent selection of programs available for our students, exciting new programs are also under consideration and development.”
According to Uliano, the current freshmen will be able to take advantage of several new programs, including a program with the Manchester Metropolitan University in England and a program called “Cabrini in Australia,” at the University of Nortre Dame in Australia.
The Australia program, which will take about a year to get started, is for the spring semester, from Jan. to June. For the first four weeks, participating students will take a three-credit environmental studies class and spend one week in a classroom, two weeks on a boat off the Australian waters and the last week back in the classroom. The semester then begins in February, with only 12 credits, for a total of 15 credits. With a 12-credit semester “students have ample time to really see Australia. There will be many opportunities for field trips,” Uliano said.
Junior Renee Kain is taking advantage of the current Australian study abroad program available through our liaison with Arcadia University. She will be traveling there during the spring semester of 2003. She chose Australia because she did not want any language barriers while she was away. She has also been doing some research on the country and “realized how beautiful it is. There are rainforests, mountains and beaches all in one place,” Kain said.
Besides the Australia program that is being developed, there is already a program in place, through Cabrini, at the American University of Rome. “A student can go to Rome and register for the program as though he or she is a Cabrini student,” Uliano said. “You pay all of the fees here; everything is handled through Cabrini. And, if you ask a student ‘would you enjoy studying in Rome for a semester, or would you prefer to remain in the United States?’ the choice is not that difficult.”
The study abroad program offered to students is not major-specific, nor do the students have to know the language of the country to which they are traveling. However, if the student does not know the language of the country to which he or she is traveling, it is recommended, not required, that the student takes a class of the country’s native language while there.
Although a student can study abroad during any year, except freshmen year, the ideal time, according to Uliano, is during junior year. The best time to start making plans is during sophomore year. “A student should plan an entire year before the semester he or she wants to study abroad,” Uliano said. Students should know the courses they are going to be taking before they leave, the ones they will be taking while abroad and what they will be taking the semester after they return.
Although students should start preparing for a year prior to the year they want to study abroad, the paper work does not require a lot of time and effort. “Students can do most of the paper work right here in my office,” Uliano said.
According to Uliano, the little bit of extra time spent preparing for studying abroad is well worth it. Besides experiencing an amazing opportunity, “When you apply for a job and you present a transcript from Cabrini, which includes a Study Abroad program, it is going to be even more impressive, because it shows that you are a special kind of person who has a vision of the entire world, a vision, which expands beyond the intimate Cabrini campus,” Uliano said.
