The Office of International Education will be hosting its Spring Study Abroad Fair on Monday, Jan. 27 in Moody Hall. Students will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from over 20 study abroad programs.

“The Spring Study Abroad Fair is a unique opportunity because the deadline for our University summer and spring programs is Mar. 5,” Director of the Office of International Education, Holly Carter, said. “Faculty from our faculty-led programs will be there to speak in person, so you’ll be able to get some specific information, ask them about what their classes will be like, and find out about their field trips. It’s really a great opportunity to help you meet those upcoming deadlines.”

Exchange programs, faculty-led summer programs and over 13 provider programs, such as SIT, API and ISA, will be represented at the fair.

“It’s just sort of mind-blowing how many options you have as a St. Ed’s student,” Carter said. “I don’t know if students always realize that. My office serves over 160 destinations, or something crazy like that.”

Despite the various destinations and providers that are available to students, University faculty-led programs, such as the annual trips to Angers, France and Sevilla, Spain, have garnered a significant amount of student interest, particularly in the past year.

“Lots of St. Ed’s programs for next year have filled up much sooner than they did last year, like our faculty-led programs,” Study Abroad Advisor Christine Trinidad said. “Some of our programs were at capacity even before winter break.”

Trinidad stresses the importance of exploring all of the provider and exchange programs that are available to students, even those outside of the University.

“There are provider programs out there, like SIT (School for International Training), that are tailored towards the independent-study-minded, and then there are more traditional programs like faculty-led trips,” Trinidad said. “I always push students to explore the different options. You don’t have to find your perfect program on your own; you can come talk to us and we can help you filter out the best options.”

Regardless of the program, many students who have been abroad, such as junior Peter Scheible, who participated in a faculty-led program to Japan last summer, believe that studying abroad is an experience that every student should take advantage of.

“Studying abroad gave me an entirely new global perspective,” Scheible said. “Hearing about culture shock is one thing, but actually experiencing it firsthand by living in another part of the world is something I believe everyone needs to do.”