2012-10-18T12:16:00.005-07:00

Gelato in Italy!

This is a guest blog post from Chelsea, who studied abroad with CEA Global Education in Rome during the summer of 2012.

I just wanted to take the time to express my love for one of my absolute favorite things that Italy has to offer! I’m not talking about the architecture or the language, or even the beauty it has. I’m talking about gelato!

Before coming to Italy, I had never had it before and I knew very little about it. But I knew that I wanted to try it. Ever since I can remember, I have been an avid ice cream connoisseur. So being I knew that gelato was kind of like ice cream, I knew I ha to test it out. I remember the first time going to go get it; I had no idea how to order, how much, or even which flavor. It didn’t help that everything was written in Italian so ordering was a big challenge. I didn’t know that you could get three flavors, let alone whipped cream on top! Needless to say, once I ordered gelato once, doing it again came very easily for me.

The next problem I faced when getting gelato was where to get it, and which flavors! The best place to get gelato, in my opinion, is a little shop near the Vatican. Our professor showed it to us one day and the rest was history. Their Nutella flavor became my all-time favorite flavor, followed by Strawberry and Pistachio. This place was also the best deal because for the huge amount that you get, you only had to pay 2 Euros, a very good deal in my mind. The next best place to get it was near the Pantheon. They had over 140 flavors, and I was never let down.

I could go on and on about this but I’d never stop. Gelato has now changed my views on ice cream and puts American ice cream to shame. I miss it so I’m on a mission to find the closest thing to it here in the U.S. So far, no such luck. I guess it’s just another special gem unique to Italy.

2011-09-02T10:33:00.000-07:00

Why Study Abroad is Important

Studying abroad could be one of the most valuable experiences your son or daughter has in college. Studying abroad can increase self understanding and confidence, speed up maturity, influence students world views, enhance their interest in studying, help them decide on a major, heighten foreign language skills, develop an open mind, encourage diversity, and influence their entire life for the better.
The following articles provide useful discussions about the benefits of study abroad:
The Benefits of Study Abroad: New Study Confirms Significant Gains by Mary M. Dwyer, Ph.D. and Courtney K. Peters
Study Abroad: A Lifetime of Benefits , by Amy Ruhter McMillan and Gayly Opem
Effective Marketing of International Experience to Employers , by Cheryl Matherly, Ed.D. (in Impact of Education Abroad on Career Development)

Parental support is very helpful in making student’ study abroad experiences as beneficial as possible—we thank you for your interest and consideration!
Study abroad offers your student a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see, learn and experience new things in an affordable way while earning credits toward graduation. In today’s world, multi-cultural understanding and the ability to interact productively with people of different backgrounds is not merely valuable, but necessary. It’s a small world after all! Advances in global economy and communications constantly increase the need for confident, savvy individuals who are able to connect and communicate effectively with members of the international community. There is no better way to learn these skills than through a study abroad—while abroad, students are exposed to new situations and practices while still within a familiar academic environment, making their international education experience both comfortable and exhilarating. The time a student spends studying abroad teaches her to adjust and adapt to a new community and way of life—this lesson in flexibility will last a lifetime.
Not surprisingly, study abroad also teaches confidence and independence. While abroad, your student will develop the responsibility and self-esteem that are necessary to learn, ask questions, explore and develop meaningful relationships with others.
While personal growth and development are arguably the greatest benefits of studying abroad, students stand to gain even more for participating in one of our programs! Study abroad looks great on a résumé or application and is a great way for a student to stand out amongst her peers.
Surely there are other ways for students to expand their horizons and boost their résumés. However, study abroad is unique in that it is both affordable and allows students to earn academic credit. The Study Abroad Office offers hundreds of scholarships each year to our students, making study abroad a viable option for everyone. Also, we work with every student to ensure proper credit transfer and class enrollment—students will earn the credits they need to graduate in an affordable way while learning to be responsible, global citizens.

10 reasons why you should study in a foreign country..)))

Have you considered studying abroad, but are not sure whether it's worth your time? If you ask anybody who has studied abroad, he or she will most certainly tell you that it is a life-changing experience and one of the most rewarding things he or she has ever done. Perhaps you're not certain what benefits you can reap from an extended stay in a foreign country. Here are 10 very excellent reasons why you should take the plunge:
1. Study abroad is the optimal way to learn a language. There is no better and more effective way to learn a language than to be immersed in a culture that speaks the language you are learning. You're surrounded by the language on a daily basis and are seeing and hearing it in the proper cultural context. Language learning happens most quickly under these circumstances. [Read why you should learn a language.]
2. Study abroad provides the opportunity to travel. Weekends and academic breaks allow you to venture out and explore your surroundings - both your immediate and more distant surroundings. Since studying abroad often puts you on a completely different continent, you are much closer to places you might otherwise not have had the opportunity to visit. Some more structured study abroad programs even have field trips planned in or around the curriculum.
3. Study abroad allows you get to know another culture first-hand. Cultural differences are more than just differences in language, food, appearances, and personal habits. A person's culture reflects very deep perceptions, beliefs, and values that influence his or her way of life and the way that s/he views the world. Students who experience cultural differences personally can come to truly understand where other cultures are coming from.
4. Study abroad will help you develop skills and give you experiences a classroom setting will never provide. Being immersed in an entirely new cultural setting is scary at first, but it's also exciting. It's an opportunity to discover new strengths and abilities, conquer new challenges, and solve new problems. You will encounter situations that are wholly unfamiliar to you and will learn to adapt and respond in effective ways.
5. Study abroad affords you the opportunity to make friends around the world. While abroad, you will meet not only natives to the culture in which you are studying, but also other international students who are as far from home as yourself.

Make cheap international calls to over 200 countries from any mobile phone or landline using Rebtel. So you can easily stay in touch with your loved ones situated miles away from you.

6. Study abroad helps you to learn about yourself. Students who study abroad return home with new ideas and perspectives about themselves and their own culture. The experience abroad often challenges them to reconsider their own beliefs and values. The experience may perhaps strengthen those values or it may cause students to alter or abandon them and embrace new concepts and perceptions. The encounter with other cultures enables students to see their own culture through new eyes.
7. Study abroad expands your worldview. In comparison with citizens of most other countries, Americans tend to be uninformed about the world beyond the nation's boundaries. Students who study abroad return home with an informed and much less biased perspective toward other cultures and peoples.
8. Study abroad gives you the opportunity to break out of your academic routine. Study abroad is likely to be much unlike what you are used to doing as a student. You may become familiar with an entirely new academic system and you will have the chance to take courses not offered on your home campus. It's also a great opportunity to break out the monotony of the routine you follow semester after semester.
9. Study abroad enhances employment opportunities. Did you know that only 4% of U.S. undergraduates ever study abroad? Yet, the world continues to become more globalized, American countries are increasingly investing dollars abroad, and companies from countries around the world continue to invest in the international market. Through an employer's seyes, a student who has studied abroad is self-motivated, independent, willing to embrace challenges, and able to cope with diverse problems and situations. Your experience living and studying in a foreign country, negotiating another culture, and acquiring another language will all set you apart from the majority of other job applicants. [Read about careers in foreign languages.]
10. Study abroad can enhance the value of your degree. While abroad, you can take courses you would never have had the opportunity to take on your home campus. In addition, study abroad gives your language skills such a boost that it is normally quite easy to add a minor in a language or even a second major without having to take many more additional courses after the return to your home campus.