Study abroad: experience what the world has to offer

Studying abroad provides an alternative solution to students' normal college experience and gives participants unique life experience, according to the program's literature.UTC's studying abroad program can take a student almost anywhere. There are several programs available through the university's cooperative education office including England, France, Germany, South Korea, Japan, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and Australia.

"We have had students on four of the five continents," Hugh Prevost, director of cooperative education, said. "I am still waiting for someone to do Antarctica, but have not found the brave soul to go there yet."

To be eligible to study abroad, a student must have an overall GPA of at least 2.5 and have completed their freshman year of college. A student in any major is eligible for abroad studies, but the study plan must be approved by cooperative education and the department in which the student is majoring.

Nathan Phillips, a Chattanooga, Tenn., senior, spent time studying in the Czech Republic and Holland. He recommended that anyone considering studying abroad should seriously look into it.

Phillips said, "The whole experience is one of the most memorable things that I have ever done and will ever do in my life."

Tara Milliken, a Tennessee Ridge, Tenn., senior who studied in England said, "Studying abroad has been the best part of my college life, and I would tell anyone who is even barely considering the idea to really go for it!"

Jason Prevost, a Middletown, Conn., senior who studied in France, said he would like to see UTC and other universities nationwide devote more energy and funding to student travel and studying abroad.

To those interested in studying abroad, director Prevost recommends students start planning early in their college career, and that they either revisit the foreign language they took in high school or learn a new one.

Prevost said, "If I were advising about a new one [language], I would suggest Chinese, Korean or one of the Arabic languages."

For more information on studying abroad, go to the cooperative education office on the second floor of the UC or go online to http://www.utc.edu/coopeduc/.