This week's procrastination tool/very important and life-enhancing goal: complete study abroad applications.
Now, that sounds all well and good. Pick a program or two, explain why studying abroad in [insert foreign nation here] will change my life, give that check my John Hancock and wait a few weeks.
Easy, right?
Well, it could be. Duke's Office of Study Abroad has some amazing programs available that require a surprisingly small amount of effort for the applicant. Although nightmares of college applications still haunt me, these are a welcome break.
But then, silly me, I didn't think that what I saw on the Duke-approved program list would work for me. You see, I am a second-semester sophomore who has not yet decided on her major. As of today (and this changes frequently) it will be math, psychology or economics. Tomorrow, classical languages will probably be back in the mix. And I can't discount statistics just yet.
Okay, so I just need a program with a lot of options in math and the social sciences, as well as classical studies with no foreign language requirement.
It seems like I should be going to London.
Problem: I don't want to go to London.
I want to go to Italy. I am 50 percent Sicilian-for those of you who don't understand, that's the coolest kind of Italian-and I want to go back to the homeland. I'm ready to play Bocce with the big kids.
So after reviewing the Italy programs on the Office of Study Abroad's Web site, I just didn't think any would work too well for me. Enter study abroad adviser.
After discussing several program options with my abroad advisor, I decided on one particular summer program that seemed like a good fit for me.
Unfortunately, when one tries to bring too much creativity to the study abroad process-namely, pursuing a non-Duke program that has not yet been approved-things become much more difficult. Directors of undergraduate studies have to be hassled. More forms have to be completed. It just gets uglier.
But I want to get my Italian on, so I spent a good deal of my Winter Break working on program applications, gathering information to pass on to the Office of Study Abroad, bothering professors and otherwise "applying," broad as that term may be.
And last week the whole thing fell through on a mere technicality.
Back to square one and one month closer to program deadlines.
I am blessed by the fact that I a) started applications early and b) know what I want. I am cursed by the fact that my academic interests do not coincide very well with my location interest.
Almost every person I have talked to that has studied abroad in the summer or during the semester has had a positive experience. Since before I knew where I wanted to go to college, I knew where I wanted to study abroad. I have no intention of backing out of the process at this point in time.
My experience thus far has shown me, however, that it can be a very discouraging process. The answer to the very first FAQ on the study abroad Web site states the following: "Duke University is committed to providing an internationally grounded liberal education that will enable its students to understand the world better, appreciate the international contributions to knowledge and to cope effectively with an increasing intercultural environment."
Maybe we need to establish some unique programs in order to really hold to that commitment and make studying abroad more appealing and more feasible to everyone across all majors. Math in Milan, perhaps? Physics in Florence? Biology in Bologna? We need programs that could extend outside of Duke and give students in less study-abroad-friendly majors more opportunities to experience life beyond the so-called "Duke Bubble." Make it more appealing for us to leave Duke and we'll become those "internationally grounded" students you want us to be.
Allie Vergotz is a Trinity sophomore. Her column runs every other Friday.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.