Studying abroad is an opportunity all students should consider, according to Dr. Nicholas Uliano, the study abroad coordinator for Cabrini College.
“Students return from abroad transformed,” Uliano said, in regards to the students who’ve studied abroad. “I often see growth in so many areas: academic, social, personal, to name a few.”
While Cabrini has its own signature programs in Italy, Australia and England, students are not limited to merely those three countries. In conjunction with other institutions, Cabrini students’ options are endless. In reality, they are able to choose from any country where Americans can travel.
“When I first arrived at Cabrini, our brand-new program at the American University of Rome, Italy was on the radar; it was the hot ticket. Now it’s the Semester at Sea program,” Dr. Uliano, whose own study abroad experiences included a semester in Salamanca, Spain while an undergraduate Spanish major at the Pennsylvania State University and a summer in Mexico City while in graduate school at Temple University, said.
Students who choose to enroll in a Semester at Sea program trade their regular college campuses for a floating university aboard a cruise liner on the ocean.
“Semester at Sea has been fantastic,” Madison Milano, junior psychology and communication major, said who is presently on the trip. “I’ve met really amazing people and I’ve been able to experience things that I know I’ll always remember.”
The 10-14 destinations semester-long program, Semester at Sea, and summer programs offers numerous financial aid opportunities to students. “A Cabrini student who is aboard the ship this semester, Mario Marino, was awarded a SAS Presidential Scholarship fully covering tuition and room/board” Dr. Uliano said. “Mario is actually the second Cabrini student to be awarded this prestigious scholarship.”
Dr. Uliano understands that some students have misconceptions about studying abroad, and he enjoys providing students with facts that can often resolve their questions. Semester at Sea isn’t the only program that is a good fit for students worrying about the financial realities of a semester abroad. “The belief that studying abroad is too expensive for the average student is often a myth,” Uliano said.
Studying abroad costs vary; however, many times the cost is about the same as it would to attend Cabrini for a semester. Even without their Cabrini aid for the semester they will be abroad, there are always options and programs that can make it economically feasible for prospective travelers. This is true of both Cabrini-affiliated and non-affiliated programs.
Uliano is no stranger to traveling himself. Aside from having traveled with students on over 30 different trips, Dr. Uliano has traveled throughout Europe many times and has visited every Spanish-speaking nation in Central and South America on his own time.
“No student has ever said that they want to come home because they don’t like it there, it hasn’t happened. I tell any student who is homesick during their first week to give themselves seven days. And that they should talk to me about returning home if it continues; nobody ever does,” Uliano said.
Just as Uliano has, most of the students continue to travel once they arrive back from studying abroad. “Most students return infected with the travel bug,” Uliano said.
According to Dr. Uliano, there are many Cabrini students who understand the importance of having international experience. Even students who only hold an inkling of interest in studying abroad often wind up following through with the opportunities. “I think students who have any interest in the subject should come and talk to me,” Uliano said.
“Many students do not know how easy the process can be until they walk into my office and speak with me,” Uliano said. “All they have to say is “’I want to go abroad; can you find a program for me?’”
