My Purdue Study Abroad Experience

By -

 

During my college search process, I remember something that was important to me was finding a school that had opportunities for engineers specifically to do study abroad. Something that I had been told by some other schools was that “as an engineer it would be hard to study abroad without adding time to your graduation date”. This was something that I did not want, but what I learned is that at Purdue this concept is a myth. It is very possible to be an engineer at Purdue and go on a study abroad trip. In fact, it was encouraged, and this was just one of the many things that made me gravitate towards Purdue. At Purdue there are so many different options for study abroad. There are options to go for a semester, and entire school year, the summer, or what is called a Maymester. A Maymester is what I ultimately chose because it fit the timeline that I was looking for the best. This study abroad occurs right after classes get out in the spring, and usually last anywhere from 2-4 weeks. This was appealing to me, because it allowed me to study abroad and still be able to work an internship over the summer. For me this was the best of both worlds, without having to be gone an entire semester. 

My study abroad trip was for 2 weeks, going to London, Berlin, Dresden, and Prague, and it was through civil engineering. However, you did not need to be a civil engineer to be on this trip, and there were also multiple industrial, and mechanical engineers on the trip as well. The trip also counted as a technical elective that I needed, which allowed me to get a class done over the summer, but only in a 2-week period of time. There are so many different study abroad programs through all different departments, and you don’t necessarily have to do one through your specific college in engineering. There are many different ways to make the cost of the trip less, and I was able to find a way to make the trip not too expensive. There are multiple scholarships that you can apply for through either Purdue or through an outside scholarship. One scholarship that Purdue encourages students to apply for is the Purdue moves scholarship that is specifically for students going on study abroad trips. Overall, the experience was well worth it. It was a great way to meet new people that I may not have without the trip, and it also allowed me to step out of my comfort zone. I highly recommend that if you are able to go on a study abroad you definitely should. If a study abroad is something that you are interested in visit the Purdue Study Abroad website and look out for the study abroad fair as well as any specific study abroad callouts.


Alena Megregian, CE '24

WE Link Leadership Team


Stay Connected With Purdue WiE Program!

Facebook: Purdue Women in Engineering

Instagram: @purdue.wie

Blog: purduewiep.blogspot.com

Email: welink@purdue.edu
 
 

 

Purdue Women in Engineering

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Understanding Purdue Housing

By -
Image
One of the many concerns incoming freshmen have is what to do regarding their housing options. In addition to the roommate selection process, you may be interested in seeing your on-campus options in terms of amenities and the communities available within the building. For example, when I accepted my admission to Purdue as a freshman, I knew I was interested in a standard double that I had experienced at a summer college program. To ensure my University Residences housing, I applied to Vertically Integrated Projects so that I would be able to pursue a research project as a freshman while also guaranteeing my housing within Earhart Hall through the connected learning community. For more information on learning communities, read our previous blog! Many freshmen will live in a residence hall, even if they are not in a specific learning community. Now, as a Resident Assistant or RA in Earhart Hall, I have been trained on the term “residence hall”; our halls go beyond a traditional “dormito
Read more

Top 10 Extracurriculars Purdue Students Want You to Join Outside of Engineering

By -
Image
1. Purdue University Dance Marathon (PUDM):  The biggest student-run organization on campus! You can join as a dancer, where you get to fundraise leading up to the 18-hour long event or be even more involved and join a committee! Some of the committees include Riley Relations, where you fundraise to sponsor events for the Riley families throughout the year & are paired with a Riley family for the night of the event, Special Events Committee, where you organize 5K’s and other events around campus throughout the year, and so much more! 2. Boiler Gold Rush (BGR):  Whether it be as a new student, a team leader (TL), or even a Supervisor, there are so many ways to get involved with BGR! This week-long event is held the week before classes start in August. As a new student, it is your first chance to meet your new colleagues and participate in many games, fountain runs, and other fun activities throughout the week. It is also a great way to familiarize yourself with the campus an
Read more

A very (sub)objective review of dining options at Purdue

By -
Image
Jenn and her friends after the Thankgiving dinner Food is an integral part of our day. For some people, the very first thing they do in the morning is eat breakfast. I personally prefer my cup of coffee to a stack of waffles. Nonetheless, food has the power to pick up a bad mood, enhance a good mood, and even ease the stress you are feeling about exams and homework. The awareness I have of how food impacts my mood is recently found since I started college in August. at home I usually came home to my mom or dad making something delicious in the crockpot. Suddenly I arrive at college and there are so many options that it can get overwhelming at times to figure out what to eat. Navigating the dining options at college did not seem like something I should have been worried about, yet it was something that took a month of experimenting to perfect.  The key is knowing where to go and what is consistent. I decided to help you out and give you some insight into how I view each dining option on
Read more