Study Abroad Fair is another event for all freshmen to check out.

Every time I go to downtown, getting in and out of underground metro stations, I know this is Paris. Paris was once a name of romance in my mind. I got that stereotype from movies, music, and fashion, like everybody else. However, the opportunity of studying abroad here gave me the chance to learn about Paris. In Marais, the downtown district consisted of Center Pompidou, numerous gay and lesbian bars and boutiques, I saw individuals, who wear their own hair, their own clothing, especially females. Young girls, a black woman with a huge hat and a colorful long tight dress, madams with gray hair but exquisite make-ups. I would follow them and I can’t move my eyes off from them. I feel touched.

Are you fighting wanderlust after your study abroad experience? Looking for other international opportunities to go abroad after graduation? We hear you!

José Diaz (B.B.A. finance '17) studied abroad in London through the Undergraduate International Business study abroad program. To help fund his study abroad experience, Diaz applied for and received several scholarships, including the Diversity Ambassador Scholarship. After graduating from the University of Iowa, Diaz started his dream job at JP Morgan Chase in Chicago as a corporate analyst – a job he feels his study abroad experience helped him land.

I read Elizabeth Bishop’s poem “One Art” in my freshman gen-ed literature class at the University of Iowa. The refrain in this poem has since resurfaced in my life, culminating in my plans to study in China for the 2017-2018 academic year.

My name is Mary Harkleroad and I am an undergraduate biomedical engineering student here at the University of Iowa. I participated in the CIMBA program located in Northern Italy at the Istituto Filippin. I was the first person in my family to study abroad as well as being the first to attend college. Needless to say, my family and myself were very skeptical about studying abroad at first. College alone provides many financial and personal challenges but applying the same concepts and adding in a whole new country is difficult to wrap your mind around. But it doesn’t have to be.

During my study abroad experience in Madrid, I was thankful for the sights I saw, the people I met, and the journeys I went on. But one of the most gratifying experiences was being able to find myself and identify with my Hispanic background. I felt as though a part of me that was empty for so long was finally filled.

UI undergraduate Allison Schafer has been awarded the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, to intern abroad this semester.

Study Abroad and International Programs will host an information session on its winter program India Winterim, on Wednesday, September 6 at 10:30 a.m. and September 7 at 2:00 p.m. in 1117 University Capitol Centre. 

Qingyang Su, an undergraduate student in the College of Engineering, is an international student at the University of Iowa. Hailing from Beijing, China, Qingyang has embraced the opportunity to learn about American culture, meet new people, and challenge himself through research and teaching assistant experiences.

I chose to study abroad because I knew if I didn’t go for it I would always regret it. I wanted to be completely immersed in a Spanish speaking country and I wanted to live with a host family. I chose to study abroad to meet some of our neighbors in Chile, and hopefully to learn something about myself. Also the empanadas. 

We're excited to announce our Study Abroad Bloggers for the fall 2017 semester! These unique individuals were selected from a competitive pool of writers to tell the story of their destination and represent the voice of University of Iowa students while abroad. Throughout the semester, these students will share their experiences through writing and photography to be published weekly here on International Accents.