By Kelly Waldron, Opinions Editor; Photo Credits to Kelly Waldron
Every student is required to participate in a Global Opportunities (GO) program at Susquehanna, but how do you know you are getting the most out of your time abroad?
This question made me feel lost when it was time to decide what program I wanted to commit to. I knew that I didn’t want to study abroad for an entire semester, so GO Long wasn’t the best option. I also knew that I wanted to attend a university abroad, so certain GO Shorts and projects together weren’t the best choices for me either.
Navigating the programs wasn’t the easiest to do alone, so I made an appointment with the GO office. That is when Shane Sanders helped me find the Maastricht University program in the Netherlands.
With help from Sanders, I was able to find this GO Your Own Way program that not only fit my budget but also offered me classes that were directly related to my major and guaranteed to transfer the credits to Susquehanna. So, as someone who felt lost in picking a GO program, I highly recommend meeting with the advisors at the GO office because they genuinely pointed me in the right direction.
Since GO Your Own Way programs are more independent than any other program, I had a lot to navigate in preparation for my trip in July. I had to purchase my plane ticket, set up my school account for Maastricht, and detail my travel plans for both Susquehanna and Maastricht’s records.
Despite all the preparations, I still hit some bumps along the way once I arrived in Maastricht, something every student should be aware of in advance. Navigating the trains and buses isn’t easy when you’re alone in a new country, but asking questions and finding help is essential if you’re a nervous traveler.
However, once I settled in Maastricht, things fell right into place. My dorm was about a 20 to 25 minute walk from the Maastricht campus, so Monday through Thursday I woke up and walked to class since I decided not to rent a bike there. I often went to cafes or sandwich shops with friends after class.Later in the evening, I would make myself dinner since I had a kitchen in my dorm.
While at Maastricht University, I took a global journalism class with no other Susquehanna students, which helped me branch out and meet new people. I was in a small class of students from California, Virginia, Canada and China, which fostered a very unique learning environment for a conversation-based classroom setting. Although my professor gave lectures, he was more interested in having class-led conversations to engage students.
Many professors attempt this technique, but I feel like this class was the most successful I have ever seen a class-led discussion course go. The learning environment was so different from what I am used to in America, but I really enjoyed the change.
With Fridays off, I spent my three-day weekends traveling both in and out of the country. An hour and a half bus ride and I was in Brussels, Belgium taking a waffle making class with people from Argentina, Japan and France. An hour bus ride in the opposite direction and I was buying blueberries at a market in Aachen, Germany.
Despite my adventures out of the Netherlands, the local explorations were some of my favorites. For example, every Friday in the city center there was a huge market full of fresh produce, handmade jewelry, clothing, food trucks and fabrics. Lots of fabrics. This market was my favorite thing to explore on the weekends, and I always bought fresh fruits for the week there.
Besides shopping my heart out, I loved to go on hikes in Maastricht. There are tons of hiking trails throughout Europe and, more specifically, the Netherlands, including the local Saint Pietersburg Mountain area. The cliffside views were beautiful and the different paths created a new nature experience for me every time I visited.
When picking a GO program, no student should settle. At the end of the day, it’s your money, your experience and up to you about what you want to get out of your program. So, meet with the GO office multiple times, talk to students, be picky. Surprises will always find you during your trip, but picking the Maastricth program was definitely the best decision I could have made for what I wanted.
Photo Above: Germany
Photo Above: Market in Maastricht
Photo Above: Belgium