Study Abroad: “Impact China” or “Peru"

By: Travis C. Jones

Studying abroad is an educational opportunity that many student dream about. Many Universities have Study Abroad programs and recently Frostburg State University has been putting more effort into improving its own International Study/Study Abroad programs.

Frostburg State University’s College of Business has set up two programs for study abroad experience that are being offered during the summer semester of 2013. On November 29, 2012, there was an information session to explain, in depth, each trip and the opportunities that they each provide. The coordinators of the Study Abroad: Peru trip, College of Business Dean, Ahmad Tootoonchi and Dr. Jeffery L. McClellan, and the coordinators of the Study Abroad: Impact China trip Dr. Lilly Ye and Dr. Yan Bao explained the itineraries for each trip.

Both Study Abroad experiences had many highlights.

Study Abroad: Impact China is a trip based on career opportunities and networking. Students who embark on the trip will get to experience tours and private lectures at the Beijing stock exchange, the United States Embassy, the General Motors Factory, and many other amazing businesses and sights. The trip is not based entirely on networking however; students will be brought to see the Great Wall of China, the Terracotta Soldiers, and many other tourist attractions. “Experiencing Chinese culture will help you to realize just how amazing the diversity and differences are between cultures.” Dr. Ye went on to explain that the connections and networks that students are being offered during this trip are unlike any networks that they would be able to make under any other circumstances.

Study Abroad: Peru is a trip based on leadership studies and the differences between leaders of different cultures. Students will get to attend an international leadership conference in Cuzco, visit the city of Lima, and volunteer to help the needy in small mountain villages. While in Peru, students will have the pleasure of visiting amazing sights, both the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu are on the itinerary for the trip. The way that Dr. McClellan describes the trip, which he himself went on last summer, is as “an absolutely breathtaking experience that would help to prepare a student for any career they could possibly pursue in their future.”

Taking advantage of either opportunity will greatly benefit students. “I promise you that taking either trip will be an eye opening experience” said Dr. Tootoonchi.

For those students who are interested in taking advantage of either opportunity, you can access either trip at http://www.frostburg.edu/colleges/cob/.