October 2, 2017,

Dear members of the Hajim School community,

Why study abroad?

“I guess my question for you is, why wouldn’t you want to study abroad?” Sabrina Westgate ’19 replies.

The chemical engineering major is among several Hajim School students who studied abroad this past spring and summer, and who are sharing some great experiences, insights, and advice.

For example, Mariel Sackman ‘20 presents a compelling argument for why a biomedical engineering student would want to go to Russia to study the language rather than engineering – and why a summer program made it even easier to do so.

Scott Giles ’19 of computer science, discovered “You can learn more from one semester abroad than an entire 4 years at one place, and you will likely never get another opportunity like this in your lifetime.” He spent last spring at AIT Budapest.

Tarin Rickett ’18 of computer science and brain and cognitive sciences especially valued the time she spent with her “amazing host family” in Nantes, France, last spring. “One of the things I miss the most from my time abroad are just simple sit-down family dinners: hearing about everyone’s day, eating amazing French food, and absorbing the culture and customs.”

“Do it.” That is invariably the advice given by students who have studied abroad to other Hajim students who are thinking about doing so. “Without a doubt it has been one of the best parts of my undergraduate experience,” says Harel Biggie ’18 of electrical and computer engineering, who studied in Madrid.

And if that’s not reason enough, here are three others:

  1. Hajim students now have access to 19 new engineering specific exchange programs through the Global Engineering Education Exchange, also known as Global E3. This includes engineering programs at:
  • The Universities of Melbourne, New South Wales, and Newcastle in Australia
  • Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China (offering a joint institute with University of Michigan)
  • DTU: Technical University of Denmark
  • The Hamburg and Munich Universities of Applied Sciences in Germany
  • The City University and the Polytechnic University in Hong Kong
  • Institut Teknologi Bandung in Indonesia
  • Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
  • Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico
  • Delft University of Technology and University of Twente in the Netherlands
  • Hanyang University (Seoul and ERICA campuses) and Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology
  • Universidad del Pais Vasco in Spain
  • Lund University in Sweden
  • University of Sheffield and Birmingham University in the United Kingdom

(Click here to look up these programs.)

  1. We’ve identified courses by major and country that you can take to satisfy degree requirements.
  2. You can apply for financial help, including a Hajim School International Experience Scholarship, to help defray costs. (Deadline to apply for the Hajim scholarship for Spring 2018 is Nov. 1.)

Juan Pablo Castano ’18 of computer science, who spent last spring at the University of Bristol in England, makes perhaps the most compelling argument of all:

“Even though we have liberties and responsibilities while on campus that we might not have had before coming here, they do not compare to the experience you have while living abroad. Study abroad . . .  forced me to leave my comfort zone, which in turn taught me that I am capable of a lot more than I thought I was.”

Thanks to Kelvin Ferreiras, Nicholas Martucci, Jason Natale, and Thomas Pinella of computer science; Gina Bolanos, Crystal Kim and Thomas Kittross of mechanical engineering; and Noah Pines of optics for also sharing their experiences – and great photographs.

Reminder: Please register by October 9 for Meliora Weekend events, including performances,reunion events, homecoming, family activities, lectures, and more. View the full event schedule and register on the Meliora Weekend website.

Have a great week!

Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman
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