FSU’s Study Abroad Program

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? Frostburg State University students have been just about everywhere: Ireland, Thailand, Japan, Germany, England, China, Spain, South Korea, and more. It might be quicker to list the places that Frostburg students haven’t gone. Nevertheless, many students feel that it’s not possible for them to study abroad during their time at Frostburg. Victoria Gearhart seeks to prove these students wrong.

Victoria Gearhart, director of Frostburg’s Center for International Education, is passionate about helping students study abroad. In fact, she studied abroad four times herself. She spoke to The Bottom Line about the value of studying abroad. “It’s an employable experience,” she said, “80% of employers specifically seek employees who have studied abroad. It expands your knowledge of the world; it teaches resourcefulness. Many of Frostburg’s study abroad programs are affordable”. Most programs only require you to pay Frostburg tuition, along with the abroad school’s room and board. For some students, a semester abroad is cheaper than a semester at Frostburg. And you don’t necessarily have to speak the native language of the country. Various programs exist in which classes are taught in English. One can study abroad during either the fall or spring semester, during summer break, or during intercession.

Nori Dawson, a third-year English major at Frostburg, studied abroad in Ireland last summer. When asked, she said her favorite moment of her study abroad experience was, “Just getting to see the culture of another country. Ireland has different customs and expectations that you don’t see here. Beyond that, all the Irish people I met were so welcoming. It felt like I was their friend from years ago that they were seeing again.” In one word, she said her trip was, “Magical”. I was constantly doing new stuff and meeting new people every day.”

“I would recommend studying abroad by going in and talking to Victoria Gearhart. She truly will make anything possible in the terms of studying abroad,” Nori concluded.

The Center for International Education will host a study abroad and international fair on March 8th from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm in the Atkinson room in the Lane Center.